Backstabbed by life
by CanadianGirl007
Summary: Life has never been good for Florence, a young French Canadian left without anything : no family, no money, no home... How will she get through that? (Story with Connor Kenway that doesn't follow the story in the game) Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1 - Explanations

Chapter 1 - Explanations

"There must be a problem with her"

"Of course" she dryly replied, not even looking at him. "You can't just slap yourself in the face laughing when fully awake".

Her father nodded

"She caught something that drove her crazy… And she's driving me crazy with her crisises."

"I know it's hard Dad but we have to carry on"

"I need something to drink".

He stood up and went to the kitchen to get his bottle of whiskey. He came back to the table with his daughter, sipping directly from the bottle.

"Your mother is not herself anymore" sadly said the patriarch between two sips.

"Why do you care? You don't even love her"

She looked at him with an icy glance. Her dad looked at her too.

"I never loved her… I don't know what came up to my mind to marry her. Pff!"

He sarcastically smiled and swallowed a huge sip of whiskey. The girl stood up.

"Florence, where are you going?"

She turned around.

"I'm going to bed."

"I'll go to the Mohawk village tomorrow. Wanna come?"

"No thanks. I just wish to sleep."

"Alright then."

As she went up the stairs to her room, her dad looked at the bottle and sighed.

"How did it all happen?" he thought. "Married a schizophreniac, made her a kid…"

He sipped, looking at the blank wall in front of him.

"And that kid seems to be turning into a gorgeous young lady…"

He sipped again.

"I'm tired of it all."

He ended up asleep face on the table with his half empty bottle.

* * *

It was one of those lonely and silent nights where the young girl didn't know what to think of her future.

"Will I get married? Do I want to?" she thought, taking off her clothes. "How will I ever meet someone if I'm never going out of that house? I'm young but I know what I want… Do I?"

She sighed, approaching the mirror. She let her underwear fall to the ground and looked at her naked self in the mirror.

"I'll marry someone and get out of here" she whispered. "I seduced only once but it was successful. Why wouldn't it work another time?"

She put her pale and stained camisole on and got to bed, almost depressed. The seventeen-year-old girl fell asleep, tired of her life.

* * *

Florence woke up after what she felt like a few minutes. A strong smell burnt her nose and made her feel like she was being strangled. She opened her eyes and all she could see was smoke.

"Oh dear God… I must be dreaming… It's a nightmare…"

She got up from her bed and quickly put the dress she was wearing that day, coughing and losing her breath. She grabbed another dress lying on the floor and ran down the stairs to face a vision of hell. The wooden house was full of fire: the walls, the furniture… Even the ceiling started to burn.

"MOM! DAD!" she desperately screamed.

It was useless to yell like this. Her mother was probably dead by now. She stepped forward to the kitchen.

"DAD! DADDY WHERE ARE YOU?" she kept screaming until she saw what she wished she could unsee.

"Oh my God…" she whispered.

It was like time had stopped. She didn't breathe or feel her heart beat. She was shocked by what she saw: her dad, who appeared to have fallen in a coma due to alcohol, was on the kitchen's floor, face down, flames running everywhere on his back and soon to his whole body. It all became clear to Florence: he fell down and knocked an oil lamp which broke near from his head along with the bottle of whiskey still in his left hand. She suddenly came back to reality, realizing she was in danger and in need for air. She ran out of the house. As soon as she got outside, she heard a huge _CRACK_. She turned around to see the house crumble into a bunch of wood pieces in flames, like a big bonfire. She turn around and ran. Where to? She didn't even know herself. She just wanted to be far from all that so she let her feet lead her.

It was a dark night. So dark she wouldn't be able to see her hand if she put it right in her face. She was getting pretty far from her house, she didn't see much of the fire from that distance. She continued her way, walking and sobbing. She put her hands in front of her in case something would be in front of her. She felt a tree and decided to sit leaning her back on the tree. She brought her legs against her chest and started crying out loud, face hidden between her knees. She stood up and screamed out her pain; the pain she drowned in tears on her pillow since two years and a few months. When she opened her eyes, what she saw gave her the effect of being stabbed. By the long houses made of branches and the campfires here and there, she knew it was a Mohawk village. She put a hand on the tree, feeling her knees weakening as a memory came back to her mind.

It was the night she met her very first love.

_She was 14 going on 15. Soon after her dad decided to lock her mom in the master bedroom, he started to smoke. He was very capricious about the tobacco: he needed the one the Mohawks cultivated. One day, he brought a young native to his house to get the tobacco. Florence was downstairs, washing the dishes. Hearing two men laughing, she decided to peek. She was surprised to see a native in her house but she instantly liked his smile… and his strong arms, his shoulders, his dark eyes… She liked everything from him. She decided to introduce herself. From close, he was even more handsome than she first thought. He also seemed to like her, blushing as soon as he saw her._

She cried again, trying to stop her memory from playing tricks on her. She looked again at the village. A child or maybe a baby was crying in distance. Another memory came back to hit her. This one was painful.

_It was a beautiful summer night. The sun was setting, painting the sky with blue, pink and bright orange. She opened her window and leaned on her elbows on the window sill. She smelled the warm air and smiled. She heard some quiet footsteps from under her window. She looked down and smiled even more._

_"Keenan!" she said, waving at the young Mohawk._

_As she wasn't able to pronounce his name, she called him the part she understood and thought that sounded like Keenan. He didn't mind, he had some special ideas for them. She opened her window to the maximum, inviting the 19-year-old native to her room. He quickly climbed and hugged her as soon as he got inside. Both smiled. He put a hand on her cheek, pulling her into a passionate kiss. She soon knew what was going to happen, but she wanted to do it so she didn't refuse. He slowly pushed her to the bed, taking off her underwear and untying his pants._

Florence slowly came back to reality, realizing she needed a place to sleep. She stood up and looked at the sky.

"Why does everybody have to die on me?" she whispered.

She headed to the city, where she knew a small inn. It did not have a good reputation but she needed a roof above her head so she didn't care. At least for the night.

She easily found her way to the inn, glad there was nobody in the streets. She opened the heavy front door. Footsteps approached her from behind.

"May I help you young lady?" asked a warm woman's voice.

"Yes" she replied, turning around to face the woman. "I don't have a home anymore, and I need a place to stay… at least for tonight."

The older woman looked at her from head to toe, then came back to her eyes.

"Poor little thing" she said, just like a mother would say to her injured child. "How old are you to be left like that?"

"17 and orphaned" she answered.

"Come here" said the woman. "I'll get you a room."

Florence followed her upstairs to a very small room at the end of the hallway. She wished her goodnight and walked away. Florence entered the room and quickly fell asleep on the bed in foetal position.

* * *

Florence woke up to a knock on her door.

"Come in" she answered, pulling the sheets up to her chin.

"Good morning!" said a redhead woman, entering the room. "I'm June McHaggis. I work here."

Florence opened her mouth to say something but got cut by June.

"God you look so young… How old are you?" she asked with her eyes wide open.

"Seventeen" Florence sighed.

June looked totally shocked.

"God I'm the oldest by far…" said June.

"How old are you?" asked Florence, wondering how old this tall and curvy woman could be.

"I'm 23. Turning 24 next week." She proudly answered. "Almost ten years older than the youngest" she said out loud to herself.

Florence tried to understand what was going on.

"Excuse me, June" she said, sitting in the bed. "I don't understand…"

June sighed and sat next to her.

"Okay… Well… First, this place is more like a brothel."

Florence almost gasped. She suddenly understood why June didn't have a lot of clothes on.

"We are about 10 girls in here to… please the men that come here" said June, hoping Florence would quickly understand so she doesn't have a lot to explain.

"What do you do to please them?" innocently asked the younger girl, not sure if she really understood.

"Well… we prostitute…" answered the woman.

Florence gasped in surprise. June put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay if you don't want to do that but you'll have to pay in some way… Miss Campbell is very severe about that.

Florence looked at the floor, remembering how it was to make love.

_She woke up to a very bright sunshine. His arms were wrapped around her. She turned around to see that he was watching her sleeping._

_"Good morning Keenan" she said in a sleepy voice._

_The native didn't answer. He kissed her and started to caress her body from tights to hips, caressing her waist and making his way to her breasts. He got closer to make her feel that his body wanted her. He left her lips to kiss her neck and breasts, making her moan. He didn't waste anymore time to get inside of her. Florence tried to stay quiet, knowing her parents could hear her but it was hard. She bit her lips to contain the sounds she wanted to scream. He kissed her to keep her quiet… but it was too late. The door slammed open to Florence's furious dad._

_"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he yelled at the boy._

_Keenan jumped out of the bed, trying to put some clothes on before running downstairs, followed by Florence. She was surprised how fast she was able to put a dress on. Once outside, he tried to explain._

_"GO AWAY AND DON'T EVEN TRY TO SEE MY DAUGHTER AGAIN!"_

_She didn't care and ran after him._

She looked back at June.

"It's not like I never did it before…" she said.

"Wait, what? You did it?" asked the woman.

"Yes… I had some kind of a boyfriend a while ago…"

June's curiosity was stinged.

"How did it end?" she asked, feeling like a teenager.

"He died at war"

"Was he a soldier?"

"A different kind of warrior…"

"What do you mean?"

"He was an Indian, a Mohawk"

"Oh… Well… That's special" said June. "A tribe war I guess?"

"Yes… he had to go and died there" she replied without emotions.

June looked at her, hoping she was alright.

"Well" she started, "it's all about seduction you know"

She stood up to rearrange her bright red hair in front of the mirror. Florence looked at her, thinking June might be the most beautiful of all the prostitutes in this place. She had long wavy hair of a bright red, big brown eyes, big breasts and large hips. Her shoulders were square and intimidating. She was so tall she didn't need heels or else she'd be taller than some men. Florence felt bad about herself, thinking she wasn't very cute next to that fully grown woman. June turned around to see a tear roll down on Florence's cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting next to her in bed.

"I… I don't think I'll be successful at this job…" she said almost crying.

"Come here" whispered June, inviting her to stand up.

Florence stood up and followed June. She took her to the mirror. She stayed behind the teen, hands on her shoulders.

"Look at you" she said.

Florence looked at her reflection. She had curly hair long enough to reach her shoulders. What color? She couldn't say… It was a mix of blond and red reflects on an uncertain shade of light brown. She looked at her blood shot blue eyes. People often asked her if her eyes were blue or gray because they were pale. She thought she was nothing else than normal, average. No curves, no special traits… Just an average teenager.

"You really think I can do that?" she asked.

"Of course!" she answered, enthusiastic. "You are a beautiful teenager and you will grow into a gorgeous young lady. Someday you will meet that special man who will marry you and make you happy the rest of your life."

Florence smiled.

"Do natives come here?"

Both girls laughed.

"You really like natives am I right?"

"I don't know why but yes, I like them. I feel like they have so much courage and live simply without worrying… It's just… I like them!"

"You forgot the muscles" June said. "Don't forget the muscles"

They laughed again.

"Well, how do I start?" Florence asked.

"I'll get you some clothes, then you'll meet the other girls" she said.

She went out and came back with a bright colored dress. Florence put it on with some help from June. She was surprised by her reflection in the mirror. She looked a little older but it showed parts of her body that were usually hidden.

"Ready?" the woman asked.

Florence nodded and they went downstairs.

* * *

_A year later…_

Florence liked her job. She never thought she loved seduction that much, but she did. Ending up her day in a bed with handsome soldiers or other gentlemen, she loved it.

On a calm spring evening, Florence was eating dinner with June, who became her best friend and almost her sister. They really had a good complicity.

"How was your day?" asked the teen.

"Boring" answered the woman, "No one asked me for anything."

Vicki, owner and cook of the inn, came out of the kitchen to clean the counter.

"That was a very calm day, girls" she said.

"You're right, Vicki" June said. "I'd even say boring."

"If you say so."

Florence stood up.

"I'll go take a bath and rest in a room" she said.

"Would you like some pie?" Vicki asked.

"Of course!"

She came back and sat on a bench. June asked for pie too. Vicki went back in the kitchen to get the pie. Meanwhile, the front door opened. A very tall man entered and managed to quietly close the door behind him. June tried to see what he looked like while Florence devoured her piece of pie like she didn't eat in a week. He turned around to face the bar and the first thing he saw was June.

"That one is mine" she thought.

The piece of pie on her fork fell in the plate. The man sat on a bench.

"Excuse me" he said to June, "I'd like to rent a room, can I speak to the owner?"

Florence called Vicki, mouth full, as June seemed to have forgotten how to speak. Vicki came to meet him.

"Welcome to the Vicki Campbell Tavern & Inn my dear! What's your name?"

"Jefferson Norwich, milady."

The man had curly brown hair and bright green eyes. He looked thin but it didn't matter to her. She wanted him. Vicki noticed he was looking at June, smiling.

"You can take a girl to your room" said Vicki.

"I'll think about it" he answered, smiling even more.

Florence finished her pie and went up the stairs while Jefferson introduced himself to June.

* * *

Only three months have passes but everything has changed. Soldiers are not seductive gentlemen anymore : they turned into drunken sexual obsessed. Some girls started drinking to forget, just like the soldiers did. Some others are just afraid to be beaten and raped… again. Yes, it happened to Florence. She looked terrible. She became skinny, she had bruises and scars almost everywhere on her body and lost all of her self esteem. Only June was there to comfort her. The woman considered her as her little sister and tried her best to protect her. She felt sorry for Florence as she was almost in a relationship with Jefferson. For Florence, it was really hard. The new lieutenant of the British army liked her most. He was impatient and violent. He raped and beated her several times. Florence cried many times a day, every day, hoping a miracle would happen to take her out of the hell her life had become.

* * *

So this is it, the first chapter of my very first Fanfiction! Sorry if there are any mistakes, Englidh is not my mother tongue... Hope you liked it and reviews would be nice :)


	2. Chapter 2 - A special mission

**Hey guys sorry for the waiting, there has been a lot going on in my life lately so I put writing on the side for a while... but hey, here is chapter 2 so enjoy!**

* * *

November 1777. Another cold winter is coming on Boston and its surroundings. Connor is outside, somewhere in the nearby woods, sitting on a high branch. He looks around him, lost in his mind. It has been a little while that he wanted to explore the American continent a little more. He's getting pretty sure about his idea to continue his duty somewhere in Canada. He heard about some Templars hiding there. Also, people are starting to look for him in Boston so he wants to vanish and be forgotten for some time. Hearing footsteps on leaves under him, he gets his bow ready with an arrow. A deer walks by a fruit bush and eats some. Connor stands up and gets ready to shoot. In less than a second, the deer is dead. Connor smiles and climbs down from the tree to get his prey. He finishes quickly and heads back to the homestead.

He comes in and is welcomed by silence. Achilles said he was going to the city to purchase some stuff. Apparently, he's still not back. Anyways, Connor takes off his blood splattered coat and takes the deer to the kitchen to cut the meat from it.

Achilles gets to the homestead as fast as his age permits him. He's in a hurry. After almost tripping of the stairs, he slams the front door open.

"Connor come-"

He falls to the ground in a big thump and grunts. Connor runs upstairs, hidden blade ready. When he sees Achilles on the floor, he hides his blade and comes to his rescue.

"Are you okay?"

The old man grunts again while Connor helps him get up.

"Get me my cane, boy" he says, trying to catch his breath.

"Did you run to here? You're out of breath…"

Achilles tries to breathe slower.

"Did you run because we are in danger?"

"No no" he says with a dismissing gesture.

He sighs. Connor tries to understand his expression. Achilles looks at him.

"Let's sit down. I'll explain everything to you."

He makes his way to the living room, followed by Connor. Achilles picks a chair in front of the fireplace and invites Connor to sit in front of him. The old man looks at the empty fireplace, looking for his words. Connor is more and more intrigued.

"Are you sure you still want to go to Canada?"

"Hum, yes. I think I'll go to Quebec City. I still don't know when I leave but it will be pretty soon. Why? Is there a problem?"

Achilles sighs.

"You're gonna have to leave earlier. I have a mission for you. A special mission."

Connor suddenly becomes very serious. He frowns and listens carefully to Achilles.

"How is it special?"

"It's personal. I'm too old to do it myself so I'm asking you to do it."

"What is it?"

"It goes back pretty far but your target is Edward Braddock's son."

"Wait, he has a son?"

"Yes. When I first saw him, he reminded me of someone but I couldn't say who it was. Now I know."

"What kind of woman was crazy enough to marry such a bastard?!"

"Believe me, none was stupid enough for that. Anyway, he didn't need her consent, if you know what I mean."

"What did he do to her?"

"Raped her and got her pregnant."

Connor widens is eyes in surprise. He has never been close to any woman but he knows he would never hurt any.

"Just to imagine it, I'm disgusted."

"I know, I am disgusted too. Unfortunately, the poor girl died after giving birth to the child, a healthy little boy. He was given up for adoption."

"I guess he's my target?"

"Exactly. Now he's a very influent lieutenant feared by everyone. Even his superiors can't refuse him anything. They are simply afraid by him. He kills anyone that gets in his way. I'm telling you, absolutely anyone."

"I'm not afraid by this guy."

Achilles looks at him but ignores his reply and continues his explanations.

"He soon turned into an alcoholic without pity, killing everything and everyone he comes across. When he's not out doing his crimes, he rests in a tavern that looks more like a brothel than anything."

"I have nothing to do about it, he'll die of his excesses in no time."

"The point is that I want you to interfere before he adds another generation of assholes after him!"

Connor is surprised by the insulted sound of Achilles' voice.

"What do you mean?"

"As soon as he turned 18, he married a girl from a wealthy family. They spent their days in the bed, having sex all day and night. When he wasn't with his wife, he was at the tavern getting drunk and fucking prostitutes."

Connor shakes his head, disgusted of this man's habits.

"And the worst part…"

"Because there's worse?"

"When he's drunk, he becomes impatient and violent. He needs to beat someone. Guess who was his prey when he came back home from the tavern?"

"He beated his wife?"

"Yes."

"Oh no…"

"Someday, she told him he was going to be a father. To get over it, he drank all day. When he came back home, he beated her… to death. To finish her, he threw her down the stairs, making sure she would hit her head. There was his alibi that everybody believed : she fell down the stairs and hit her head."

"This bastard deserves death and nothing better!"

"I agree, but the real reason I want him dead, despite the fact that he's a jerk, a raper, a murderer… The girl he married and killed… was my niece : Alice."

Connor loses his breath.

_"How could a man do this to a woman? They should never be beaten or just hurt. They should be protected from any kind of harm. This bastard is going to die for every single thing he did in his life, starting by surviving to his birth."_

"You will go there by boat. Be careful of who you meet there, I heard that Canadians are nice but I still can't prove it. Don't reveal much about your identity and only do your mission. Please, honor my niece. She was never meant to that kind of destiny."

"Don't worry Achilles. This man will die. He'll never harm anyone anymore."

"You have all my trust, boy. I'm sure you won't mess up."

Connor stands up quick, catching his chair before it falls to the ground.

"When do I have to go?"

"The boat leaves the port in 3 days at sunrise. Make sure to be ready way before I come to wake you up. It's a long journey and the ship is full."

"I understand. Don't worry, I'll be ready."

Achilles nods and watches Connor go.

_"That young boy is trustworthy. With the death of his mother, I knew he would care about women abuse. I already can't wait for him to come back. This will mean my revenge is done."_

* * *

Florence painfully opens her eyes. Some strong winds threaten do destroy the inn by shaking its walls. Not only the walls shake, the young girl shakes too. She doesn't want to turn around and see the man with who she spent the night. Tears roll down her cheek silently. In a deep grunting, the man next to her starts moving. She would love to run away before he gets to touch her, but she's paralyzed by fear. Anyways, it's too late. Strong arms wrap around her skinny body and squeeze her so tight she almost chokes.

"How about another ride?" whispers a mean man's voice in her hear.

She swallows loudly. What can she do now? He unwraps his arms from around her. For half a second, she thought the hangover might have changed his mind. Never has she been so wrong. She can see his shadow rising above hers on the wall. A tiny sound escapes her throat before the strong arms violently turn her around on her back. She instantly closes her eyes. No, not that face again. The man slaps her.

"Ouch!" she cries, hoping someone would hear her and come to her rescue.

"Don't you dare say a single thing!" growls the man, holding her jaw tightly.

He throws the sheets away and holds her fists to the bed. She keeps her eyes closed, praying this is just a nightmare.

"Look at me." he says.

She doesn't move. He slaps her again.

"Look at me, bitch!"

She opens her eyes. No, this is not a nightmare. He is there, in front of her, holding her to the bed. Both are naked. She knows what will follow but she hopes it will not happen.

"Now be nice, or you know what will happen to you. No one disobeys the lieutenant without consequences."

She would like to throw up in his face. He smells a strong mix of whiskey, rum and many other kinds of alcoholic beverages. He looks at her with his horribly malicious smile. He releases one of her hands to spare her legs then he puts his hand to her throat. He stares at her, approaching his manhood from her. She shuts her eyes closed, bites her lips… and screams out her pain. He thrusts in and out roughly, completely ignoring her cries and suffering.

On the other side of the hallway, June wakes up to Florence screaming. She looks at Jefferson, deeply asleep. She cuddles tighter with him. She pulls the sheets up to her head to cover the horrible sounds coming to them.

After horrible minutes, hours, she doesn't know, he finally stops.

"You're lucky to be pretty 'cause you're awful at sex. There's only one thing you deserve… "

He stands up and goes to the pile of clothes in the corner. She can hear him look for a weapon. She holds her breath. He turns around and comes back hands empty.

"You know what is my favorite weapon, dear?"

She turns her head to the side and opens one eye to watch him. He jumps on her like a cougar would jump on a poor little deer. He sticks his head to her forehead with a smirk.

"Bare hands."

He then proceeds to hit her of any possible way. Punch to the face, ribs, arms, shoulders… he's making her a brand new layer of bruises.

"NO! STOP!"

Totally needless to scream. He won't stop. Her surroundings start to fade with black dots. She let herself go. What could be worse? She hoped he was killing her. Her hell would be over. She could join her mother in Heaven and be fine far from this world. After a few moments, everything went black. Noticing she didn't offer resistance anymore, he stops his madness and pushes her to the floor.

"That's all you deserve bitch."

He stretches and gets dressed before leaving the room like nothing happened.

* * *

"So this is it, boy" Achilles says when Connor gets off the carriage. "Make me proud of you."

Connor nods and makes his way to the crowd waiting in line to get on the ship. He turns around and waves at Achilles. A few minutes later, he gets on the boat.

"Here we go. Let's kill some redcoats and Templars."

* * *

**So this is it. Kinda short and, by my advice, not so good. I promise I'll do better in the next chapter. Reviews would be appreciated :)**


	3. Chapter 3 - Investigation

**Hi guys! This is it : chapter 3! The 4th is already written, I just have to work on it a little so it will be online soon! But for the moment, enjoy ;)**

**By the way : if something isn't clear, don't be shy to tell me, I wish to get better.**

* * *

"Alright everyone, I need your attention!"

Connor opens his eyes and grunts. Getting up seems to get harder and harder every morning. He stands up and peeks out of his cabin to see who's talking.

"Everyone listening?" asks the captain. "We are very close from the port of Quebec. Please pack your stuff and get ready, we have a very tight schedule and a storm on our way."

Everybody nods.

"Alright. I'll send somebody to tell you when we can get off as soon as we can."

He turns around and goes away. Connor can't fight the smile forming on his face. He goes back in his cabin to put on clean clothes and make sure he doesn't forget anything. He puts on his coat and weapons. He goes to the kind of window and looks outside. The port is very close.

_"This city seems cool. I can't wait to walk on firm land after this long trip."_

After a few moments, a young seaman comes around smiling.

"You can come out, everyone! Come on!"

Connor pulls up his hood and follows everyone to the outside.

* * *

Connor never thought a footstep would make him feel so good. He breaths in and exhales deeply, happy to finally arrive. Someone bumps in him.

"Oops, my bad. I'm sorry sir." said the very tall man.

"It's ok."

The man looked at him curiously.

"Have you ever been in Quebec City?"

"Nope. But I won't be here for long."

"You might need a place to stay."

"Sure. I heard about an inn. I'm not sure about the name…"

Connor struggles to remember the inn's name while wondering how it is possible to be taller than himself. He didn't look up to talk to someone in many years.

"I know a very good place downtown. The food is delicious, the whiskey perfectly aged and…" he gets closer to whisper. "There are some very pretty women to serve you, if you know what I mean."

The native is disgusted by the pervert smirk on the man's face. He'll have to get over it : this man is the one who will guide him to the inn.

"Sounds good. How can I get there?"

"Just follow me, I was going there anyway. By the way, I'm Jefferson Norwich." he says, ready for a handshake.

"Connor" he says, avoiding the handshake.

He nods and both continue their way.

"So, where are you from?"

"Boston."

He almost hissed it. Not wanting to talk about him, he locks his glance to the view in front of him. They are surrounded by people speaking a language he can't understand, except for a few voices far from them. Raising his glance, his jaw tightens. Redcoats. His hand hovers above his tomahawk, just in case. The man looks at him, worried.

"Yeah, I'm not very proud to be from London when I see them. I like this place and wish to stay, but they're ruining our public image."

Connor fakes to not hear him as they get closer to the redcoats. He smells a subtle aroma of wine coming from them. Their voice tone speaks the truth : they are drunk.

"We are close, it's just right there around the corner."

Connor follows him and continues to watch the soldiers to make sure they don't attack them. After a few steps, he notices that the man has stopped.

"Here we are!" he exclaims. "Vicki Campbell's Tavern & Inn!"

Connor looks up at the sign above the door and suddenly remembers that it's exactly the place where Achilles told him to go.

Jefferson pats his shoulder.

"Come in, it's a very welcoming place, you'll see for yourself."

He nods and Jefferson pushes the door with a huge smile on his face. Connor pulls off his hood to not arouse suspicions. He only has one foot in and almost chokes. The strong smell of alcohol burns his nose. On his left, there are a few tables and chairs lighted by big windows all along the wall. On his right, where Jefferson is going, the bar. A very long counter from which a part of the kitchen can be seen. The place looked pretty good except for one thing : redcoats. Everywhere.

_"Which one is Burden? They all wear the same clothing…"_

"My best customer!" exclaimed a woman. "How are you Mr Norwich?"

"Really good and you?"

"Usual you know" She looks over his shoulder. "Did you bring a friend?"

Jefferson turns around and invites Connor to join him. He agrees and sits on the bench next to him. The woman puts a glass of beer in front of each men and disappears in the kitchen.

"So… What brings you in the beautiful city of Quebec?" asks the tall man.

"My duty."

"Good"

"How about you? Why are you the best customer?"

Jefferson chuckles and takes a sip.

"I'm looking for a job in the city. The place seduced me… but a woman did too. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen"

"Why are you hanging in a brothel if you have a girlfriend?"

He sips then gets closer from Connor.

"She works here"

"Oh… Okay" surprisingly answers Connor.

To avoid the awkward silence coming, he looks around again, hoping to see his target soon. There are many soldiers all around the room with prostitutes. He didn't notice them until now. Many girls of different kinds : short, tall, long or short hair, different hair and eye colors…

2 of them try to make their way to the bar without falling.

_"Am I the only one to be sober here?"_

The cook comes out of the kitchen with 2 glasses full of something that looked like rum. It's like if she knew they were coming. They grab their glasses, spilling about the half on the floor while walking to where they were.

"Do you see her?" asks Jefferson. "She's a tall redhead"

"Nope" says Connor after quickly scoping the room. "I don't see any redhead"

Connor becomes impatient. No one mentioned the lieutenant and he has no idea what he looks like.

A girl sits next to him at the bar and yells her command to the cook in a drunk incomprehensible voice. She comes out and puts a glass in front of her.

"Excuse me" asks Connor. "Is the lieutenant here?"

He gets an angry look from the woman.

"He did such a hell of a mess last night… He only stopped when I asked him to take a girl and disappear in a room before I get mad. He chose a girl and I only saw him this morning. He said he had some work to do and went out."

Jefferson leans on the counter.

"And June? Is she gone with some men?"

"No she's helping me with the dishes. Usually it's Florence's job but she decided to lock herself in a room again."

She sees the curious look on Connor's face.

"She's been through some hard things and it seems to help her get better to be alone."

Suddenly, her expression changes.

"It's almost dinner time and she's still up there" She looks at Jefferson. "I'll ask June to go get her so you'll have your girl"

"Thanks!"

She goes back in the kitchen.

"June! Your man is here!"

"Really?!" she said, over happy.

"Yes. He's a the bar, waiting for you"

She throws her cloth on the counter and rushes out of the kitchen. Vicki stops her.

"You're gonna leave me with all this mess? Go get Florence"

"She's still not up?"

"No, why?"

"Oh God…"

Vicki puts her fists on her waist.

"What?"

"She spent the night with the lieutenant"

Vicki looks at her, panicked.

"Let's hope that bastard didn't hurt her too much… Go get her right now! I'll wait for you at the bar"

June nods and rushes out of the kitchen, followed by Vicki. She didn't even notice Jefferson's presence.

"Why is she running like that?" asks Connor.

"I don't know, it's the first time I see her running like this"

Both men watch her run up the stairs, wondering what's going on.

* * *

June finds the room where she was last night and looks at the door facing it. It's unlocked and almost open. Soft crying and coughing can be heard. She pushes the door slowly…

Florence is surprised but calms down as soon as she sees June. She kneels to her and hugs her.

"What happened? What did he do?"

"Well, you know…" she sobs. "The usual rape and hit. Twice"

June hugs her tighter but she suddenly pushes her away

"You're squeezing that huge bruise on my shoulder"

"Sorry…"

"Vicki wants to see me?"

"Yes. She needs help cleaning the dishes"

"Tell her I'm coming"

June stands up and helps Florence to get ready.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs, the front door slams open. As a reflex, Connor's hand holds his pistol in his pocket, ready to shoot.

"Hey Burden!" yells a wasted soldier from the back of the room. "Where you been?"

He comes in and shakes the soldier's hand. A random man closes the door, looking angrily at the lieutenant.

"I was getting bored so I decided to join you here" he says, already drunk. He looks at the cook, leaning on the counter, biting her lower lip. "Vicki! Get me a huge bock of your best beer!"

She almost throws it at him. He laughs and walks to the back of the room to join some soldiers.

"I can't wait for her to come back…" Jefferson sighs.

"When was the last time you saw her?" asks Connor.

"Last night" he laughs.

Connor turns around to face the bar. On his way, he noticed 2 girls going down the stairs. One is a very tall redhead. The other, holding the tall woman's arm to keep balance, seems shorter. It is pretty dark so he can't see well. He taps on Jefferson's arm.

"Is that her?"

He looks up and smiles.

* * *

June slowly goes down the stairs, holding Florence. She looks around and sees Jeff at the bar.

"Your man is back" weakly says Florence.

June looks at the bar. She frowns.

"He seems to have brought a friend"

Florence tries to see what the friend looks like but all she sees is black hair, a long white coat and thinks he has a strong frame.

Connor felt like someone was staring at him so he turns around. He first sees the woman Jeff kept talking about. Then he looks at the girl she's holding. She seems in pain and weak. She lifts up her glance to look him in the eyes. He almost lets out a _whoa_.

_"Those eyes…"_

She trips off a step but June holds her. She looks back in front of her and looks terrified.

"No" she whispers. "He's back"

June forces her to go down the few steps left. The cook comes out of the kitchen with a cloth in her hand. She sighs.

"She can't even stand" She looks at another girl sitting at the bar. "Come help me with the dishes"

She exhales in exasperation and follows the woman to the kitchen. At the end of the stairs, Florence almost runs to a seat between 2 wasted sleeping girls on the other side of the bar, facing Connor. He stares at her while Jeff greets June with arms wide open. The sun shines a little brighter on Florence, lighting her up.

_"What the hell happened to her? She's covered in bruises and scars! Who could have done this?"_

The cook comes out of the kitchen with a glass full of a gold-brown liquid. She puts it in front of Florence and disappears in the kitchen again. She takes a tiny sip and makes a disgusted face. She opens her eyes and looks at June and Jeff giggling and almost running up the stairs. She looks at the glass she holds with both hands. Desperate, she starts crying again.

* * *

Sun is setting and Connor continues his investigation.

_"I can't kill him here. He's always surrounded by people, it won't be subtle. I have to find a way to kill him that nobody suspects. It's gonna be hard…"_

Tired of watching an alcoholic, he turns around and looks again at the girl facing him. She's holding her stomach in pain.

"She must be hungry… I guess she didn't eat only once today…"

He waves at the cook to command some food.

"What would you like, sir?"

"Your specialty for me and some food for the girl over there" he points her. "I'll pay for the food."

The woman widens her eyes in surprise then nods and goes to the kitchen to prepare the food. Shortly after, she puts a full plate in front of Florence.

"I didn't ask for anything"

"You didn't but this man", she points the native, "did for you."

She looks at him, blushing with a shy smile.

"Thank you" she mouths before starting to eat.

He smiles while staring at her, noticing every little detail on her. Especially her hair color, which intrigued him a lot. Is she blonde, brunette, red? A mix of all three? He couldn't say. She looks up at him again with her sharp blue-grey look.

_"I've never seen such beautiful eyes in my life… It seems to be the only thing shining on her, among her bruises and scars"_

Loud footsteps come from the back of the room.

"HEYYYY" yells a drunk man's voice. "My glass is empty"

Connor looks at him from above his shoulder. The lieutenant. He comes closer and closer to the bar, Connor squeezes the handle of his tomahawk, ready to crush his throat in one swift movement. He trips and holds the Assassin's shoulder to not fall.

"Sorry man" he says, a little too close from Connor's face.

He calls for a beer and looks at Florence.

"Hey, my favorite bitch!" he yells, waving at her.

She wishes she could turn into a chair. Or disappear. Or both. He walks in sideways, catching anything that can help him making his way towards her. He arrives next to her. She almost jumps over the counter.

"YOU!"

"W-what?" says Florence, terrified.

"You're gonna be my wife! I want you to be my wife!"

The absurdity of the sentence makes the cook storm out of the kitchen, flour all over her clothes and hair with a rolling pin in a hand.

"Calm down Burden, she's not here for marriage!"

"I'm the boss! I do what I want!"

"The boss?!" she laughs. "It's my property and you know I could easily kick your drunk ass out of here if I want to!"

He relies on the counter, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"Listen to me ma'am…" he says, raising a finger to point her.

He opens his mouth to say something but doesn't have the time : he falls to the floor, unconscious.

"Damn it!" says the cook. "How will I get you out of here now?"

Connor instantly stands up.

"It's okay, Miss. I'll take him to a room"

"Last door on the left" she says, wiping her forehead with her hand. "Lock him in, I don't want him messing around again tonight"

"No problem, Miss"

He goes to the place where the lieutenant lies, behind Florence.

"Are you okay?" he whispers to her, kneeling to pick up the unconscious man.

She nods, softly sobbing. Connor goes up the stairs holding the man like a potato bag on his shoulder. He pushes a door and drops him on the bed.

_"Could this be my chance to kill him?"_

He slowly takes out his right hidden blade and puts it to his throat. Footsteps and laughs in the hallway interrupt him.

_"They all saw me with him. If they find him dead, they'll immediately suspect me .I'll try_ _again another day, another way…"_

He hides his blade and leaves, making sure to lock the door as Miss Campbell asked. He goes back downstairs. He looks at Florence, who seems to be in a very serious discussion with Vicki. They turn their heads to face him and the cook puts away some dirty plates while Florence looks Connor in the eyes, almost smiling. She waves to get his attention then taps on the bench next to her. Not sure to understand, Connor points his chest with a confused expression. She nods with a bigger smile and taps the bench again. He nods and joins her.

"Thanks for what you did. It was very nice"

"It's okay, I like helping people"

Vicki comes out of the kitchen with two pieces of pie. She puts them in front of Connor and Florence.

"A gift from the owner! Thanks for helping me. Eat it before I change my mind!" she says in false threatening.

Both thank Vicki and start eating.

"What's your name?" asks the girl.

"Connor Kenway. You?"

"Florence Du Berger"

"You're French?"

"I'm Canadian. French Canadian"

He nods. He can see curiosity shining in her blood shot eyes.

"And you, where are you from?" she asks.

"Boston"

"Why are you here?"

He stares at his pie.

"Hummm… For… My job"

She looks at him from head to toe, trying to find out what his job could be. He lifts his arm up to scratch his hair, exposing his belt. Florence tries to look at it subtly but he puts his arm down, his coat hides it again. They finish eating and Vicki leans on the counter to get closer to them.

"Listen to me, boy" she says, very serious. "I'm in a good mood so I offer you to spend the night with her for free"

He widens his eyes in surprise.

"Enjoy your night!" she says, on her way to take the order of a man at the bar.

_"What did she just say?! I'm not here for that! What do I do now?"_

He looks at Florence who shows a naughty smile. He swallows loudly. She puts her scratched hand on his forearm, getting her mouth closer to his ear.

"The night has come" she whispers. "We should take a room"

He looks at her naughty smile, confused.

_"Is she really trying to seduce me or is she used to being seductive?"_

She stands up and invites him to follow her up the stairs. He follows her, feeling his hands getting wet through his gloves. He feels very uncomfortable. She chooses a random room and opens the door, letting Connor in first. He goes to the other side of the bed to take off his weapons. He hears the door knob lock. He turns around to face the girl.

"What do you want me to do?" she asks, slowly pulling the laces of her corset.

"Don't undress!" quickly says Connor, eyes closed and hands in front of him.

"What?"

"I don't want to… do that with you" he says, eyes still closed.

"If Vicki knows that I didn't do anything, she's gonna kill me!"

Connor opens one eye.

"Does she have to know?"

She looks at him, very confused.

"Well, you're nicer than I thought"

He opens his eyes and looks at her.

"I will not stoop to their level. Those who used you were mindless beasts"

She smiles and gets closer to him. She looks him in the eyes. Connor is almost chocked by the intensity of her look.

_"What's that burning sensation in my chest? I feel like she's hypnotizing me with her eyes…"_

"Can I ask you a question?" she says, putting her tiny scratched palm on his chest.

"What?" he asks, very uncomfortable.

"Where are you from?" she asks, very serious.

"I told you I was from Boston"

"Your skin betrays you"

Connor sighs. He suddenly feels like he could tell her everything. How can he resist to that look?

"I'm Mohawk. My tribe was near from Boston"

_"I knew he was a native! And a cute native I should say…" she thinks._

"How about going to bed? I have to get up early tomorrow for my job" he says, inventing a reason to stop the discussion.

"Okay then. We'll just sleep"

He nods and sits on the side of the bed. She sits on her side, shivering instantly at the contact of the cold sheets. She rubs her arms to warm up. Connor looks at her.

"You're gonna catch a cold dressed like that"

She looks down.

"I don't have other clothes"

He takes off his shirt.

"What are you doing? You changed your mind?"

"No I just want you to sleep with warm clothes"

He hands her his shirt.

"Put it on"

She takes the shirt and puts it over her usual clothing. It is obviously too large for her : her left shoulder comes out of the collar and the bottom of the shirt stops at half her tights. She smiles and joins him in the bed, happy to feel warmth around her. He scoots to the edge on his side to leave her some space.

"Don't be shy, it's not like you were the first man to touch me"

"I'm not gonna touch you. I respect you so I won't"

He stares at the ceiling. Feeling playful, Florence scoots near from him. She puts her arms on his chest and puts her head on them.

"What are you doing?"

"I feel like I could talk with you for hours. I don't know why but I feel safe with you around"

"I'm happy you feel that way. I mean you no harm"

She smiles. Noticing the shirt falling off her shoulders, Connor puts it back in place. She takes his hand and pulls it to get his arm wrapped around her. He's surprised to see her smile.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yes. It's the first time in years that I really feel good and safe"

She hugs him. Connor looks at her, not sure of what he should do or say.

"Good night Connor" she whispers.

"Hum… Good night"

She quickly falls asleep, followed by him.

* * *

**If you have any ideas, feel free to tell them to me! It could help in case I'd run out of ideas. I'd like some reviews, please :)**


	4. Chapter 4 - Break Free

Connor wakes up in the middle of the night, feeling something tickling his nose. He opens his eyes and sees a bunch of hair. He puts it away and sees Florence's face. She seems in a happy and peaceful sleep. He puts down his arm and realizes something : he's holding her from behind. He feels weird. It's the first time he gets the chance to be so close from a girl; at least physically. By the wide collar of the shirt – which fell off her shoulder again – he can see a bit of her cleavage hidden in the shadows in the night. He can't take his eyes off of the view, not realizing he's caressing her waist up and down.

_"I understand why men want her so much. She's beautiful. I wonder how old she could be… she can't be older than me or even the same age, she looks like a teen. She's beautiful even skinny… Wow…"_

He lets his hand slide to her hip. A heat spreads from his chest to his whole body, especially below his stomach. Her leg is exposed from tight to toe. His hand continues against his will until his fingertips feel the warmth of her bare skin. He struggles against his mind to stop touching her body. What he doesn't know is that she is awake too. She fakes to sleep just to see what he could do. She loves feeling his big hands on her waist. She moves a little, just to be more comfortable. He widens his eyes, looking at her moving.

_"Please, please, don't wake up now!"_

Connor is very embarrassed about his physical response to being so close from a girl. She moves like she was about to wake up.

_"I hope she doesn't feel it… Please, continue sleeping!"_

Florence clearly feels it against her lower back. She moves just to tease him. He grits his teeth. Two voices argue in his head : one telling him to come back to normal and ignore her, the other yells to enjoy the opportunity of holding such a beauty in his arms. He bites his lower lip.

_"How is this even possible? Just a few thoughts about a sleeping girl and… I have to stop thinking. Or think more? Arrgh!"_

He suddenly looks at her with eyes wide open. She moves more.

_"She can't wake up and see me like this… shame on me!"_

She turns to face him, still acting like she was asleep. She subtly puts a hand between them while hugging him with the other. Connor holds a grunt, feeling her hand pressed against his crotch. She smiles, her mind filled of fantasies thanks to that budge in his pants. He locks his eyes closed and tries to fall asleep.

* * *

Florence wakes up at sunrise. She doesn't feel arms around her. She turns her head to see Connor on his back next to her. The sheets are at his hips, revealing his muscled chest. She looks at his muscles, dreaming to be held tight in his strong arms, protecting her from any kind of harm. She notices a scratch on his shoulder. By taking a closer look, she notices many other scratches and scars all over his upper body. She looks at his face, the most handsome face she has ever seen.

_"His body may be covered in scars, but he's still hot as hell…"_

She lifts up her glance and sees his long white coat on the chair on the other side of the bed.

_"He said he was here for his job. What could be his job? I have never seen that kind of uniform…"_

She carefully gets up, making sure to not make a sound, and goes to where the coat lies. She touches it with her fingertips. Noticing the hood, she picks it up to take a closer look. She touches the eagle embroidery, memorizing every little detail. She steps to the side and feels something on her toes. She looks down to see his weapons. She kneels and starts inspecting them. She takes the hidden blade, the one that intrigues her the most. She rotates it in all directions until she notices a metal piece. She takes a closer look at it.

_"It looks like some kind of emblem or insignia… What could it mean?"_

She hears him grunt and change of position.

_"I better take off his shirt and leave before he catches me touching his things"_

She quickly takes off the shirt and folds it neatly. She puts it with the coat and leaves, quietly closing the door. She turns around and gasps in surprise.

"June! You scared me!"

She giggles.

"You finally found that native you were dreaming of!"

"Not so much…"

"Don't tell me you don't like him, your eyes say that he's good"

She smiles and blushes.

"Yes. He's been very nice to me. Nothing like the soldiers.

"Good. Now get to know him and see if he could be the right guy"

"The problem is… I don't think I'll have enough time to get to know him like you did with Jeff…"

"Didn't he say he was here for his job?"

"I think it's a small contract or something like that where he just gets back home when he's done. He doesn't seem to try to get along with everyone like Jeff did"

"By the way, did you get to know his job?"

Florence nods no. June tries to find a way to tell her that she knows what is his job.

"Do you have any idea of what kind of job demands to carry so many different weapons? His body's covered in scars and he has that coat that I have never seen any like this… Long, thick, white with blue stripes and a hood…"

June widens her eyes at the mention of the hood.

"I think I know"

"Really?" she asks, unbelieving. "What could it be?"

June suddenly turns upset, confronting a reminder of her past.

"It's a very dangerous and confidential duty"

Florence opens her mouth in surprise. June gets angrier.

"Don't tell anybody else about what you saw! He could get hurt and you too!" she hisses, walking angrily towards the stairs.

Florence rubs her arms as if she was cold, her own sign of sorrow and guilt. She tries to find what she could have said that made June so upset.

"By the way" says June, turning around to face her. "Vicki needs us to go to the market. We leave in 30 minutes"

"I'll be ready"

June walks loudly as she always does when she's upset. She holds the tears that threaten to roll on her cheeks. She remembers how the conflict between the Assassins and the Templars tore her family apart. She feels the pain it caused her again as she shakes her head to not think about it. She goes to the kitchen to knead bread dough as hard as she can.

* * *

Connor wakes up.

_"Better be careful to not wake her up"_

He looks at his side to see that he's alone in the bed.

_"I guess she had some work to do… I should get to work too. How could I kill him?"_

He gets up and stretches. He notices his shirt neatly folded with his coat. He takes it and unfolds it. He couldn't say why but he smells it. A delicate girly smell, like flowers, comes from it. He smiles then shakes his head.

_"Connor, stop thinking about her and do your job! The lieutenant has to die and quick!"_

He dresses up then kneels to his weapons. He searches through them to find the perfect way to kill his target. He stumbles upon his poison darts.

_"The poison is quiet and subtle but I can't shoot a dart from here and I won't use a bloody way either. Surrounded by people like he always is, it has to come to him without him noticing it…"_

He remembers his alcoholism and widens his eyes as he found the best idea.

_"I'll shop for some strong poison and ask Florence to pour it in a glass of beer! He'll fall unconscious to the floor like he was wasted and nobody's gonna suspect anything!"_

He gets out of the room, ready for the day.

* * *

Florence and June walk around the city to find the products Vicki asked for. As they're almost finished, June reads the list again to make sure she has everything.

"Damn! We forgot to buy salmon!"

"And the fish seller is far from here…"

Both sigh. Florence, still feeling guilty for upsetting June earlier, decides to volunteer.

"I'll go get it. What does she want exactly?"

June shows her the list.

"I only have to buy some vegetables right there" she says, pointing the place. "I'll wait for you on a bench somewhere around here"

She nods and starts walking.

* * *

After buying the fish, Florence walks fast to where she's supposed to meet June. She doesn't know why but there are more redcoats than usual and they are aggressive towards people. She slows down as something caught her eye : a tall man in a long white coat.

Connor pays for his purchase.

"I'm telling you" says the salesman. "This thing can kill a bear in less than 2 minutes"

"Thanks"

He turns around and sees her. She stops to wave at him. Meanwhile, a huge soldier bumps in her. She looks up at him with fear as he looks at her with perversion.

"You come with me" he says, grabbing her arm and covering her mouth with his other hand.

He pulls her out of view. Connor starts running and climbs on a building until he reaches the roof. He continues running until the redcoat turns to an isolated alley and tackles Florence face first on the brick wall. He takes out his hidden blades and jumps from the roof to stab the redcoat in both sides of his neck. The redcoat falls to the ground, showing Florence panting and terrified because she saw the whole scene.

"Are you okay?" he asks her.

"What… are… you?" she whispers.

From the corner of his eye, he sees more redcoats coming. He turns to face Florence.

"Hide behind the wooden crates back there" he quickly tells her. "NOW!"

She runs behind the wooden crates. She hears grunting, gurgling and metal on metal sounds. A silence follows the last thump. All she hears is heavy breathing. She comes out of her hiding place and looks at Connor.

"Can you tell me what you are?"

"I am an Assassin"

And he climbs on the roof from where he jumped and disappears. She touches her face : just a small scratch on her jaw line. She picks up her stuff and finds her way back, trying to look like nothing happened. Seeing June, she walks faster to join her.

"Oh my Gosh what happened to your face?" says June, panicked. "You're bleeding!"

"Let's go back at the inn. I'll tell you there"

June nods. Both walk back to the inn. As soon as they get there, they pass by the kitchen to get to the storage room at the back.

"Hi girls" says Vicki. "I'm tired so I'll go take a nap. June, take the lead"

She nods then follows Florence to the storage room at the back of the kitchen. She closes the door.

"What happened while we were separated?"

Florence sighs and sits on a barrel.

"I was on my way back after buying the salmon when I saw Connor at the hunting shop. I waited for him to turn around and see so I could wave at him. Meanwhile, a huge redcoat bumped in me. He tried to kidnap me"

"Just like that, in public?"

"Yes! I saw Connor run and climb on a building. Then, the man took me to an alley and tackled me to the wall"

"This is how you got that wound on your jaw?"

"Yes. But then, Connor comes out of nowhere and kills the soldier"

"He… killed… the guy?"

"Yes! He stabbed him with small blades hidden in kind of sleeves…"

June nods, knowing he did it with the usual hidden blades.

"He asked me if I was okay" continues Florence, "but many redcoats arrived and he told me to hide, which I did. After he killed them all too, I asked him what he was and I'm not sure I understood what he said… Then he just climbed on the building's wall to the roof and disappeared"

"What did he say?"

"He said he was an assassin"

June sighs and sits on the floor, hands covering her face. Florence looks at her curiously.

"What makes you so upset?"

"I have bad memories about Assassins and Templars…"

"Who and who?" asks Florence, deeply confused.

"I don't feel like talking right now" she says, standing up. "Let's get back to work"

Florence sadly nods and follows her to the counter. She looks up to see Connor sitting at the bar. She gets closer to him.

"Would you like to order something?"

"Yes, but it has to be a secret" he says, looking her in the eyes very seriously.

"Hum… Okay…"

He motions to her to get closer. He approaches his mouth from her ear.

"I will kill Burden" he whispers, "and I will need your help"

She gulps in surprise.

"Don't worry" he whispers, putting his big hand on hers. "Nobody will suspect anything, I promise"

She comes back to her senses, realizing she will be free as soon as the lieutenant dies.

"How can I help you?"

"I bought some poison" he says, pulling the flask out of his pocket. "Pour it in a glass of beer and give it to him. He'll be dead in a few minutes"

"Okay…" she says, not very confident.

"You'll do it right, just pour it in the glass"

She turns around to go to the kitchen. June stops cutting vegetables and looks at the flask in Florence's hands.

"What is this?"

"Poison. Connor asked me to pour it in a glass of beer and give it to the lieutenant"

"So it's real" she says for herself. "He really is an Assassin"

"I have no idea what this means, but I'll do it. The lieutenant will die and we'll be free!"

June smiles and gives her a glass.

"Third barrel on the left. It's the beer that has the strongest taste. It will cover the poison"

"Are you sure he won't notice it?"

"How could he? He's already drunk!"

"Okay. Wish me luck!"

"Don't worry, it's gonna be fine"

She nods and pours the poison in the glass then goes to the bar to fill the glass of beer.

"BITCH!" yells the lieutenant from the back of the room. "Bring me some beer!"

Connor stands up from his seat and stops in front of Florence.

"I'm leaving. I paid the owner this morning"

"Goodbye" she hardly says in a quiet voice.

He pulls up his hood and leaves, not saying anything. Florence watches the door close, tears in the eyes. June, who watched the whole scene, comes up to her.

"I'll do it for you. Just go in the kitchen and-"

"No" she says, interrupting her. "He asked ME to do it so I will do it. He trusts me"

June nods and goes back in the kitchen. Florence takes a deep breath before making the first step towards the lieutenant's table. With a cold look and a poker face as she simply puts the glass in front of him then goes back in the kitchen. June looks up at her, noticing her chin shaking. She leaves her work and hugs her. She cries for a few minutes, just not able to hold it any longer.

"It's gonna be okay. Go take a room and rest. I can handle the place alone"

She leaves her friend's arms and goes towards the stairs. On her way, she hears a loud thump and glass breaking. She turns around. The lieutenant fell on a table and broke it. He's unconscious and doesn't even seem to be breathing. She smiles inside.

_"He's dead… I'm finally free!"_

She goes up the stairs and goes in the room where she slept with Connor. Pulling the sheets, something falls on the floor. She looks around the bed and finds a necklace. Connor's necklace. She goes to the mirror and ties it in her neck. Hearing footsteps and grunting in the hallway, she decides to peek. Two men carry the lieutenant to a room. His head tilts from side to side like there was no life left in his body. She turns around and quietly closes the door. She leans on the door and slides to the floor. She has tears in her eyes but a huge smile on her face.

_"It's the best day of my life!"_


	5. Chapter 5 - A ghost from the past

**Hey guys! Here it comes... Chapter 5! Enjoy!**

* * *

It's dinner time and everything is calm. The soldiers were called by their superiors to prepare an ambush so they had to go. The tavern is almost empty; only a few men are still there, playing games and laughing around a beer. Florence cleans the counter happily, still thinking about Burden's death. She looks at Jeff and June kissing, cuddling and being a perfectly happy little couple. She smiles for her friend who will probably leave soon to live her life with him as her husband. She sighs. Her happiness fades to sadness, thinking about Connor.

_"She found the man who will love her and protect her for the rest of her life… What about me? If only I have had the time to know him…"_

She subtly wipes a tear away and takes the order of a man. June saw her do and stands up to join her.

"Are you okay?"

Florence looks up at her, chin shaking. June invites her to go to the storage room. She takes 2 chairs that she puts face to face. They sit.

"No one can hear you here" she says. "Tell me what's bothering you"

Florence can't hold it anymore and cries her eyes out. June gets up quick to hug her.

"Gosh what is it? Tell me!"

"My whole life is a mess!" she cries loudly.

She cries more.

"Don't say that, it just started to get better! The lieutenant is dead, you're free!"

"FREE OF WHAT?! I don't have money, I don't even have my own clothes and do you know what I need the most to have at least a little chance of survival?"

She waits for June to answer. She stays quiet.

"A HUSBAND!"

"It's okay, you'll find it…"

"It's easy for you to say that, you already have your future husband"

June is speechless. What else can she say?

"And apparently", says Florence between 2 sobs, "I'm still an innocent and stupid teenager"

"How dare you say that? You will soon turn 19, you're almost an adult!"

"Because I'm dreaming of something impossible! Something I will never reach!"

"What is it?" asks June, already knowing the answer.

"Connor…"

June nods and gently rubs her back.

"I feel so stupid. We just met and I miss him so bad…"

"I understand"

"I just felt so good and safe with him… He was so respectful and… we didn't have sex because he didn't want to…"

"Really?"

"Please don't tell Vicki!"

"I won't. Trust me"

"I feel like he tore my heart in halves and brought one with him"

June bites her lower lip, having absolutely no idea how to comfort her friend.

"I'm surrounded by death…"

"And you like an Assassin

"I know… I just… I feel safe with him and he's nice and so handsome…"

June hugs her tighter, trying to find something nice to say but nothing comes to her mind. She can't talk about relationships, Florence doesn't have a chance. She tries to think of someone she liked so she could try to find him but again, nothing comes. It's the first time she hears her talking of a man with so much affection. She would like to tell her that it's okay, he'll come back… but she knows he won't. He's an Assassin, he kills and runs. She has no memory of an Assassin who succeeded at mixing family, love or friendship with the duty.

_"I have to tell her what I know about the Order… she will be able to understand him better. Maybe she'll realize how dangerous and uncertain her life would be with him…"_

"You know what we'll do?" she asks the teen. "Let's eat some good soup then take a room and talk for hours like we used to do. Do you agree with that?"

"It will sure help..." she says, smiling a little.

"Good! Let's see what kind of soup we could have tonight"

Florence nods and follows her to the kitchen. They take bowls and fill them with soup then sit at the counter. An old man comes in with a violin. He sits in a corner and starts playing softly. June smiles.

"It's been a long time he didn't come to play"

Florence nods. The music reminds her of when she arrived at the inn, after her house burned. It was a happy place where men came to take a beer with friends and play games… and sometimes seduce a girl to spend the night with. That's what Florence liked : respectful seduction. It all fell apart when the British army took the power and spread everywhere. Soldiers have not been gentlemen for a long time : they quickly turned into alcoholics. She shakes her head to not remember every horrible moment the lieutenant made her live since he got there. Before they met, she was a gorgeous young lady with curves and an angel face. The lack of time to rest and to eat made her skinny and weak and covered in injuries because of the men that beat her. Now, she has the hope of a better future she had when she was younger. She feels like life finally gave her a chance to move on and maybe live happy. The only downside : Connor. She feels like he'll never come back though she hopes he will. She tries to understand what happened in her head that night. She slept with so many men and none made her feel this way. Was it really what she read in fairytales : love at first sight? How will she ever know? He's gone. She sighs, looking at her empty bowl.

"Shall we take a room?" asks June, who just finished her soup.

"Yup. Let's go"

They put away their bowls and go up the stairs. They enter a room and sit on the bed.

"What do you wanna talk about?" asks Florence.

June looks her in the eyes, very serious.

"He told you he's an Assassin, right?"

"Yes. Do you understand what he meant besides that he kills people?"

"He's part of the Assassins Order, or Brotherhood if you prefer. They've been in conflict with the Templar Order for centuries…"

"Who are they?"

June starts explaining the whole story of the 2 Orders.

"I guess they'll be in conflict forever, I don't think they could get along someday…"

"How could they? They're opposites!"

"I know…"

"How did you get to know so much about them?"

"My father is a Templar… and my brother is an Assassin"

Florence sees tears in June's eyes. She gets closer to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We were a happy normal family" she says, "until we discovered why Father was always gone. He prefers naval missions so he said he was working on ships. We started asking questions when we found out he was training my brother. He wanted him to take over him in case he'd die. My brother never wanted to be part of them. He preferred the Assassins. The day he found out about my brother's choice, my father decided to kick him out of the house. I tried to interfere but instead, they asked me choose on which side I was and give them the answer the next morning. During the night, I packed my things and ran away. I took the first ship I found and got here."

"Did you get a chance to see them again?"

"Nope. I'm from Ireland, why would they bother take a ship just to see how miserable their daughter's life became?"

Florence stays quiet, afraid she could say something wrong.

"I gotta say that I miss my brother" she says. "He trained me like my father did with him. He wanted me to join the Order. I refused"

"Why?"

"I didn't want to be part of the conflict"

"I understand"

"What I want you to know is that Connor is part of the Order and it might be his priority. He could die anytime and get in a lot of trouble. Also, people who want to kill him might hurt you too. Templars are heartless. Remember that"

Florence nods, trying to assimilate the mass of information she just received.

"All of this is pretty scary but Connor seems so nice… Nothing evil…"

"He's an Assassin. He can't be evil"

"You're on the Assassin's side then?"

"I guess…"

Both sigh and stare at the floor.

"Don't be scared of him" says June. "Though he kills people, he might be the best man in the world"

"I don't understand why people aren't safe around people like him"

"It's very dangerous"

"Not for me. I feel safe"

"How?"

"How would you feel hanging around with a strong man who knows how to fight and kill?"

"… safe…"

"That's the point"

"What if you get hurt?"

"What if I don't?"

June looks away, annoyed by her friend.

"June, I am not afraid. It can't be worse than everything I've been through until now"

"You're right" she sighs. "I guess my bad experiences influenced me"

Florence hugs her.

"It's okay, I understand" she says.

"Can we change of subject?"

"Sure!"

They talk about many random things until the fatigue catches on and obligates them to sleep.

* * *

Both girls wake up at the same time.

"Eww what's that smell?" exclaims June, disgusted.

"Probably the lieutenant's corpse starting to rot" says Florence, thinking the smell is still subtle.

"What should we do" asks June, starting to panic.

Florence sighs and sits in the bed.

"As long as we're not obligated to check what's going on, let's just ignore it"

June calms down, thinking her friend is right.

"I guess you're right. I'm just stressed by this affair"

"How does it stress you?"

"We are accomplices in his murder. Don't you think there will be consequences?"

"It can't be that bad…"

"We could get hung!"

Florence swallows with difficulty.

"But you're still right. We'll just… wait… until someone complains or something"

Both nod.

"How about going downstairs and help Vicki in the kitchen?" asks Florence.

"Yup. Let's go.

The 2 girls get up, rearrange their look in the mirror and quickly go downstairs. Happily for them, there is nobody or almost; only Jefferson is sitting at the bar eating some breakfast.

"Good morning, ladies" he says, mouth full.

Both answer.

"What do you want?" asks Florence to June.

"Same" she says, pointing Jeff's plate.

"Alright"

She enters the kitchen to see Vicki cooking eggs.

"Good morning Vicki"

"Good morning" she says turning to face her. "Wanna help me with the breakfast?"

"Of course!" she says, getting closer from the counter where a piece of meat lies.

Vicki steps closer to her, looking at her neck.

"Where is that necklace from?"

"I found it in a room"

Vicki shrugs and goes back to her eggs.

"What can I do?" asks Florence.

"Peel some potatoes"

She nods and gets to work.

"Here" says Vicki, handing Florence a plate with eggs and meat, "eat your meal then come back to help me. Bring June with you"

She nods and joins June and Jeff at the counter. They eat and talk, laughing and having a good time. Vicki peeks from the kitchen and smiles a little.

"I have no idea why Burden is still not up but he better sleep for a while. It's been a long time I haven't seen a smile on Florence's face… she's glowing!"

She smiles more and goes back to work.

"I have to go" says Jefferson, quickly wiping his mouth. "Please excuse me ladies"

"Where do you have to go?" asks June.

"I have a few contracts to produce for the army and I'm in a rush…"

"Okay, have a nice day!"

"You too ladies!"

He stands up and goes out, walking fast.

"Not even a kiss before leaving…" June sighs.

Florence looks at her eggs, sad.

_"I wish I only a hug or something… I guess I just don't deserve it…"_

She inhales deeply with eyes closed, trying to prevent the tears she feels coming to her eyes. Footsteps come from the stairs. Both girls look towards it. A blonde girl comes down the stairs with a disgusted expression. Shortly after, a young redcoat, not more than 17-18 years old, follows her to the counter with the same expression. Florence bites her lower lip.

_"Please don't ask about the smell!"_

She turns her head to look outside. After ordering some breakfast, the boy looks up at June and Florence.

"Do you smell that?" he asks in a not so manly voice.

"What smell?" answers June, perfectly acting.

The blonde girl stands up and takes her plate. She walks towards the door, saying something to Florence that June didn't understand because it was French. Florence looks up to see June's confused expression.

"She said she was going to eat outside. The smell makes her feel sick."

Both look at each other, wondering if they should panic or not.

"Hey girls!" says Vicki, peeking from the kitchen. "Come help me in the kitchen. I have a lot to do!"

They almost jump from their bench and walk fast to the kitchen. They begin to feel nervous as other people suspect something.

* * *

The day was very humid. In the middle of the afternoon, the girls went out to breathe some fresh air. The smell became unbearable, everyone started feeling sick. Vicki rushes out of the kitchen and opens the front door.

"JUNE! FLORENCE!" she yells.

They turn heads towards her. She asks them to come in with a head tilting. They go inside, almost shaking.

"I'm sure the lieutenant threw up everywhere in the room. This is what smells so bad by my advice. Go clean this up, you two. Don't forget to report me what he did so I can ask him for payback. Understood?"

Both nod. Vicki goes back to work while the 2 girls slowly go up the stairs.

"Oh God!" exclaims June, almost choking. "We're gonna have to scrub everywhere with that smell!"

"You're right" says Florence between two coughs. "Let's start by taking off the bed sheets. We'll have a huge laundry to do"

June nods, coughing too. She opens the first door… empty. They'd just have to make the bed. Florence picks up the sheets and puts them on the floor while June walks around the room to check everything.

"Nothing to do here" says June, opening the window.

"Just some laundry" says Florence, pointing the bunch of sheets on the floor.

"Let's look at the other rooms"

Both nod and continue from a room to another. They're always empty except for a few where girls slept. The more they get closer to the end of the hallway, the stronger the smell gets. They open a door on the right to see one of the girls getting up with a man still deeply asleep in the bed. They turn around to footsteps. The young redcoat who was downstairs came up.

"The smell is unbearable! Did you find what it was?"

"There's still one room to check and I guess it's there"

The young redcoat stays there, watching the girls. Florence opens the locker and sighs.

"Just a broom?" she says, desperate.

"I'll go downstairs; she probably put them in the storage room. Open the door, I'll be right back"

While June goes downstairs, Florence slowly gets closer to the door, staring at the knob.

"What are you waiting for?!" impatiently asks the boy.

"I-I'm afraid of him…" she says, nervous.

The boy exhales deeply.

"It's just a freaking door!" he says, coming closer and turning the knob to open the door just a creak. "See? There's no monster in here!"

Florence still shakes from everywhere on her body. The boy turns around to go downstairs but other footsteps can be heard. Slow footsteps with a grunt. Florence shakes more. The footsteps seem to come from the room.

"So? Is he there?" asks June, coming from the other end of the hallway.

"I… don't know…"

June puts her stuff down and looks at the door, then at Florence. She steps closer and simply pushes the door open. Florence shyly peeks in. She hears growling then a man storms out of the room. He puts his hand to her throat and sticks her to the wall. Her feet don't even touch the floor. She opens her eyes and screams. He slaps her.

"Shut up bitch!" says the lieutenant. "You tried to kill me, huh?"

She tries to pull his hand off her throat to not choke.

"You failed!" he says, tightening his grip. "And you know what?"

She looks him in the eyes, those evil eyes she feared for so long. She hopes it's just a nightmare… Anyway, how could he be alive? She poisoned his beer!

"I'm not gonna kill you. Instead, I'll make you regret what you did for the rest of your miserable life!"

He takes off his hand from her throat, letting her fall to the floor in a loud thump. June and the young redcoat watched everything, speechless. He gives Florence one last look… and kicks her in the face.

"Fucking stupid slut" he says before heading towards the stairs.

The young redcoat follows him, looking at Florence from above his shoulder with pity. June runs up to Florence.

"I don't understand!" says June, panicked. "I saw you do it! How could it not work?"

Florence can't answer, stuck between the horrible pain in her jaw and the fear that the lieutenant really is alive. June puts a cloth to her bleeding mouth. Florence spits 2 teeth and blood.

"Can you stand up?"

She takes grip on her friend's arm and stands up. Except the pain, she has no expression.

"Come on, we have to take you to a doctor"

She pulls her closer so she can lean on her and slowly walks the hallway. Florence stares at the blurred floor with only one thought haunting her mind…

_"He's alive…"_

* * *

**Hahaha! Yes, HE'S ALIVE! Stay tuned to know why in the next chapter ;) Hope you liked it!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Coming back to reality

**Sorry for the LONG waiting guys! I've been busy like I never been and there are the finals... Anyway, here it is, and I hope you will like it!**

* * *

Florence walks in a forest. She looks at her right to see a colorful sunset. A branch cracks, she becomes suspicious.

"Hello Florence"

Oh, this deep man's voice she could recognize miles away. She turns around, he pulls of his hood.

"You look amazing"

She looks down at her body. She wears a long white dress. A dress normal women wear every day. She steps closer to him, smiling.

"I've been looking for you"

As soon as she gets close enough, he puts his hands on her waist. She shivers instantly.

"I missed you so much" she says.

He smiles and puts a hand to her face, cupping her cheek. She closes her eyes to appreciate the sensation. He cups her other cheek with his other hand an leans in for a kiss. He gently presses hi slips against hers. She hugs his upper body while his hands slide to her hips. After a few moments, Florence stops to look at his eyes… which she doesn't recongnize. She pulls away, it's not Connor who's holding her. It's the lieutenant. About to scream, she hears a voice behind her.

"Florence, wake up!"

She opens her eyes. Everything is blurred.

"Wh-what…"

Her vision gets clearer. June, Jeff and an older man with a stylish moustache look at her.

"Who…"

"I'm Doctor Chapman, dear" says the older man in a strong british accent. "You are safe and taken care of."

She puts a hand to her mouth, which deeply hurts.

"You're alright, miss. Though you lost 2 teeth, the jaw is okay. You'll just need to rest a lot because of the headshot"

She quickly looks around, remembering who caused this.

"He's not here!" says June, putting both hands on her shoulders.

She slowly nods, trying to understand what's going on.

"I'll leave you alone" says the doctor. "If you need me I'll be at my office"

"Thanks" says Jeff.

They watch him get out in silence then look back at Florence.

"How do you feel?" June asks.

"My mouth hurts" she slowly says. "I feel dizzy"

"You have plenty of time to rest, the army's leaving for a naval mission so you have at least a few weeks to relax"

"I don't think so… he said he'd make me regret what I did for the rest of my life…"

"I don't understand" says June. "It's poison, how is he still alive?"

"I don't know! I'm sure I did it right and he drank it all…"

"Do you know where he got the poison?" asks Jeff.

"At the hunting shop downtown. I saw him there"

Facepalm from Jeff.

"Do you know something we don't?" asks June.

"The man who sold him the poison is a scammer"

"So what Connor bought wasn't poison?" asks June.

"Maybe the quarter of the flask but for the rest", he sighs, "probably water…"

Florence starts crying.

"But he fell unconscious like he was supposed to!" she says.

"The smell in the room was caused…" says Jeff, looking at June.

"He got really sick. Vicki was right, he threw up everywhere in the room" she says, disgusted.

"I'm sorry to tell you that but he'll get better. The little bit of poison made him sick but he won't die"

June exhales deeply, holding her friends hand.

"Let's just hope their enemies will rip their ship to pieces and kill them all…" says Florence.

June gently rubs her back.

"Darling?" asks Jeff to June.

"Yes?" she replies, looking up to him.

"We should go and let her rest"

June sadly nods and stands up.

"I'll come back as soon as I can" she says. "Goodbye"

They go out and close the door. She touches her mouth and sighs : pain, over and over again. She lets her head fall back on the pillow and closes her eyes.

_"Please Connor… Come back and take me with you…"_

* * *

_A few days later…_

Florence is back at the inn. Though she still has some headaches, she can support the pain and do her job. The night before she came back, June spoke with Vicki about Florence's health. She didn't say anything about their attempt to kill the lieutenant but told that he wants to make her suffer more than ever. Vicki panicked a bit then decided to keep her in the kitchen permanently so she can keep an eye on her.

"Anyway, a little help would be appreciated" she said.

From now on, by what June could negotiate, her friend isn't part of the brothel anymore, for her own safety.

June is sitting at the bar, staring at the bottom of her empty glass. She looks kinda sad. Florence comes to see her.

"Want a refill?"

"No thanks" she says, putting down her glass. "It's not alcohol that will help…"

Florence leans on the counter to get closer to her.

"What's the matter?"

"It's Jeff… We got in a fight this morning"

Florence widens her eyes in surprise.

_"The perfect couple getting in a fight? No way!"_

"About what?"

June bites her lower lip, looking for the words to put on her thoughts.

"He's gone for work again and he doesn't wanna talk about it"

"You, do you wanna talk?"

She nods, staring at the counter. Florence looks at the kitchen then looks back at June.

"Want some dinner?"

"Why not…"

Florence goes to the kitchen to prepare the food. She picks 2 pieces of meat and puts them to cook and puts some potatoes in boiling water. Vicki comes out of the storage room with some vegetables. She looks at June.

"What's wrong with her?"

"A problem with Jeff"

She shrugs and puts her vegetables on a table.

"Are you getting better?"

"Sort of… The healing is very slow but I can deal with it"

"I never told you but I am sorry for everything that happened to you since you got here…"

She looks at her. She seems really guilty.

"It'll be fine I guess"

"What about Burden?"

Florence looks down.

"I don't know… He's sure to find me naked in a room just for him but I'm in the kitchen… By the way, thanks for helping me to be safe"

"I should have done it long ago" she says, patting her shoulder. "Let's just hope everything will turn out fine"

Florence chuckles.

"I prefer to hope that their ships sinks"

Vicki laughs.

"Why not? We can all have dreams!" she exclaims, checking the meat and turning it. "Yours will sure become true, dear, why wouldn't they?"

Florence checks the potatoes, wondering what she could be dreaming of.

_"What do I dream of? Find a home far from everything in a forest, live in a happy relationship, start a family… No. My first dream would be to find Connor and get to know him. And make him kill Burden for real this time"_

She looks back at June before placing the well cooked food in plates. She has never seen her so sad. She fills the plates and bring them to the counter.

"Stop looking at me like that" says June. "I'm an adult; I can take care of myself"

"You held me every time I had to cry. I almost abused of your time. Now it's YOU who doesn't feel good so it's YOU who will talk"

June exhales deeply.

"It's just… It's bothering me when he doesn't wanna talk… I mean, he was always enthusiastic to talk about his job with me but since he was gone all day the other day…"

"Did something happen?"

"I don't know! He always says that he's in a rush for the army… When he was in other rushes he talked about it as well but now he seems insulted every time I ask a little question…"

She sighs, putting her hands to her face.

"I'm afraid that the army's preparing a big thing and he's part of it. He's the only English notary here so they absolutely need his services. He makes big money but I'm afraid his papers aren't always legal…"

"Like, they'd force him to do them?"

"Maybe, I don't know…"

"We shouldn't worry for the moment, the army's gone for a while"

"You're right" June sighs. "I think I'm just stressed"

Florence nods and continues eating, hoping her friend would get better soon.

* * *

_A few weeks later…_

Connor is on the deck, waiting for the boat to dock. He sees Achilles' carriage not so far from the quay. He smiles a little.

_"I'm finally home!"_

A few minutes later, he gets off and makes his way towards the carriage, smiling.

"Hello young man!" says Achilles, happy.

"Hi Achilles! How are you?"

"Good, good. Let's go home"

Connor climbs to the seat next to the old man. When they get a little far from the city, Achilles breaks the silence.

"How was the trip?" the old man asks.

"Fine. I only spent one night there. You were right, people are very nice"

He suddenly feels nostalgic. He remembers the night he slept with Florence. He sees her again : her hair, her body, her eyes… He shakes his head to come back to normal.

"You killed Burden?"

"Yes. With poison"

"I would have liked him to suffer more but at least he's dead and my revenge is done. Thank you"

"You're welcome"

They get home quietly. Achilles cares about the horses while Connor goes straight to his room to unpack his stuff. At the bottom of his bag, he finds a crumpled shirt. He shakes it to unfold it. He realizes that it is the shirt he lent Florence the night they slept together. He stares at it, remembering this moment again : how close to him she was, how peaceful she looked, the contact of his hand on her waist… He smiles.

_"I hope she'll be fine. She looked amazing though she was skinny and covered in scars. I wonder what she'd look like if she was well treated…"_

He closes his eyes to imagine her without scars, in a healthy body, shining hair, smiling and stars in her beautiful pale eyes.

_"She'd be gorgeous!"_

He opens his eyes and stares at his crumpled shirt smelling sweat and dirt. He suddenly changes his mind.

_"Why do I even think of her? She must be in a brothel for a reason! I'm not gonna fall in love with a prostitute like a stupid teenager!"_

Angry, he decides to hang in the forest to hunt… or kill some redcoats if they come up. Achilles looks at him as he passes next to him, walking loudly.

_"What happened to him? Mmm, I guess there's something he doesn't wanna tell me…"_

He watches him climb a tree and jump from a branch to another. He sighs and goes back inside.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Canada…_

June, Vicki, Florence and 2 other girls rush like crazy in the kitchen. The naval mission, led by the lieutenant Burden, was a success. All of their enemies sunk. As a big victory, they decided to celebrate and they chose the same old tavern to get drunk. Everyone is working. If not in the kitchen, girls are busy cleaning.

"Hurry up girls!" cheers Vicki. "They'll be there for dinner and dinner time is coming!"

The cleaning crew finish cleaning and put away their stuff. Soon after, the girls in the kitchen are done.

"Alright" says Vicki, wiping her forehead. "I'll watch everything while you get ready. You must be beautiful for our victorious soldiers!"

All girls nod and go get ready. Vicki looks at Florence.

"You, you stay here to help me with the service. I don't want you to come out of here except if I ask you to. Understood?"

She quickly nods.

* * *

Hours fly by and everything seems to be fine. Burden had to report the trip to his superiors so he hasn't been there for long. The only soldiers who came do nothing wrong. They just drink and dance. Vicki let Florence out to help pick up the dishes to clean them. She works fast, just in case Burden would come back.

"You're doing a great job, Florence" says Vicki.

Florence turns around, surprised by the compliment.

"Are you serious?"

"I know I never do compliments but I'm happy to have your help"

"Well… Thank you"

Vicki smiles and starts doing the dishes.

* * *

Jefferson is at his office. He stands up to get his bottle of bourbon and pours himself a glass. He always does that after a long day of hard work. He sits in his chair and leans backwards, putting his feet on his desk. He exhales deeply.

_"At least they highly pay me or else I wouldn't have done any of their papers. They're starting to be meaningless… What will be the next one?"_

He sips then sighs. He stares at the ceiling, thinking of June. His office's door slams open.

"I need your services again, Norwich"

"What for, Burden?" It's getting late and I'd like to rest and-"

"Not now!" he interrupts. "You don't have the choice. You WILL do those legal papers for me"

"Will they be legal?"

"They will as soon as you sign them"

Jeff sighs and sits properly.

"What is it this time? Land? Ship? Rights?"

"Marriage"

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me! I need a marriage act to get the girl I want!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"Oh, really?" he growls, taking out his gun.

Jeff swallows with difficulty and goes to get his papers then comes back to his desk, not ready to redact at all.

"I gotta tell you that you will need other things out of my power to make it official"

"Like what?"

"A ring, a ceremony, a priest… and the woman's consent"

"Don't worry, I'll get it"

"By the way, who's the chosen one?"

"Florence Du Berger" he says, pronouncing it horribly wrong.

"I can't do that"

Burden stands up and loads his gun.

"Oh yes you can" he says, putting the gun to Jeff's head. "And you do it right now. GO!"

Jeff sighs and starts redacting, shaking and sweating. A few moments later, he's done.

"Now you just have to sign-"

"Thanks" he interrupts again, picking up the sheet from Jeff's hands to fold it and put it in his pocket. "I'll get her tomorrow if possible. Can you tell her?"

Jeff nods.

"Good night, gentleman" he says, calmly leaving the office.

Jeff stares at him from the window.

_"What have I done? She's literally going to die!"_

He sighs and heads towards the inn, trying to find a way to announce it to Florence.

* * *

At the inn, everything is alright. The place is clean and the soldiers celebrated without messing around. They're all gone or in a room. The only one still up is the young redcoat, trying to speak to the blonde girl he slept with the other day. She doesn't speak English, he doesn't speak French. Vicki watches the scene from the counter, laughing in her glass at their exaggerated gestures. Florence joins her and giggles at the scene too. June is sitting at the bar, far from everyone. She stares at the window and recognizes the tall silhouette coming to the front door. She stands up to greet him. He looks worn out, panting and sweating. Everybody look at him.

"I need to talk to Florence"

June starts to worry.

"Is she in danger?"

Florence slowly steps closer to Jeff, feeling very in danger. Jeff always looked so calm, what could make him panic?

"First, you have all my apologies…"

"For what?"

"Well… Hum…"

He pulls a chair to sit down. June puts a hand on his shoulder.

"What's going on, sweetheart? You're sweating!"

He wipes the sweat off his face and stares at the floor.

"What's going on, Jeff?" asks Florence.

"Burden promised he'd make you regret what you did… He found his revenge…"

"How did you know?" asks June.

"He obligated me to redact an act for him. A marriage act"

"WHAT?!" everybody says at the same time.

"How could you do this to me?!" cries Florence.

"What would you do if you had a loaded gun put to your head?"

Everybody sighs.

"What do we do now?" asks June.

"He said he'd probably come to get her tomorrow"

Florence wipes a tear.

"I'll be in a room if you need me"

She quickly goes up the stairs.

"You can be proud of yourself" harshly says June to Jeff. "Now he's literally going to kill her! I told you you weren't doing something legal!"

The young redcoat goes to the door. He motions to Vicki.

"I'll be back. Keep a room for me"

She nods and watch him go.

* * *

Florence is sitting on a bed and stares at floor, her vision blurred by the tears. She hears footsteps in the hallway that stop in front of her door. Soft knocks are made. She sighs and gets up to open the door.

"You?!" she says, surprised to see the young redcoat.

"Logan, my name is Logan. And I'm here to help you"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Run away"

"You're funny. He's powerful. He'll find me"

"Not if you go to another country"

"Pff, you're crazy" she says, closing the door.

He stops the door with his foot.

"I spoke to the captain. He understands the situation and agrees to help you disappear"

"You must be joking"

"Pack your things and follow me. He's waiting at the port"

"Do you even know where this ship is going?"

"Hum…" he says, thinking. "I think he said Boston"

Florence's eyes widen.

"Give me a second"

She quickly closes her suitcase and writes a note to June.

"I'm ready" she says, smiling.

Logan invites her to follow him. They go downstairs. Vicki and June are drinking at the bar.

"What's going on?" asks June.

"I'm leaving. I have to disappear"

"Where are you going?"

"Boston"

Both women nod. Florence gives her note to June and leaves with Logan. At the port, the captain stands alone, smoking. Logan introduces Florence to the captain.

"Come on, miss. We'll get you out of here"

"You're going to Boston, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

She smiles, getting on the boat with the captain.

"It's exactly where I wanted to go"

"And don't worry about Burden. He'll be gone for a while"

"Another naval mission?"

"Yes"

She nods and looks at the stars in the sky.

_"I can't wait to see you again, Connor…"_

* * *

**So this is it, chapter 6! Sorry again for the waiting, I hope you liked this chapter! I promise the next one will come soon!**


	7. Chapter 7 - For better or for worse

**Hey guys! I know that the last chapter wasn't the best ever but there is some... interesting stuff coming ;) Enjoy!**

* * *

The sun is rising above the sea but Florence is already up. She has no idea what day it is but she doesn't mind. She can't stop smiling. Just to think that she's about to see Connor again, she blushes. She walks around her cabin, imagining different situations. Suddenly, something pops in her head:

_"I don't even know where he lives… He only told me his tribe was near from Boston. How will I be able to ask for directions?"_

She hears heavy footsteps near from her cabin. She turns around as they stop.

"Hello captain! How are you?"

"Fine and you?"

"Good. Do you know how long it will take before we arrive?"

"Hum…" he leans on the doorframe and stares in front of him, trying to find an answer. "I'll check it later in full daylight"

"It's okay, it was just a little question"

"I'd have a question for you too, if you don't mind…"

"Hum… What kind of question?"

"The boy told me that Burden wanted to marry you but you had to run away to survive… I know Burden is a bastard but I still don't understand the situation"

"Well…" she says, sitting in her bed. "I don't know why but I'm his favorite. He kept raping and beating me every day or almost"

"He's disgusting…"

"An Assassin needed help killing him so I helped but now he wants his revenge. The poison didn't work and he remembers it was me who gave him the last glass of beer before he passed out"

"Wow… I'm happy to help you lady!"

"Thanks a lot sir. If I didn't have your help, I'd probably be dead"

"It's okay"

He leaves.

* * *

Florence dresses up and goes on the deck to breathe some fresh air. The captain stands alone, smoking, while his seamen take care of the boat. Seeing land, Florence steps closer to him. He smiles at her.

"So… How long?"

"An hour or 2… Everything went way better than expected"

"Nice" she says, leaning on the ledge.

The captain looks at her. The wind blows in her face, showing a few subtle scars.

"One last question, miss"

"Yes?"

"Why did you precisely want to go to Boston?"

She shrugs. She prefers to not say more, feeling like she already told him too much about her. She stares at the sea, he does the same. After a while, a seaman comes to ask the captain if they should get the ship ready. He looks through his spyglass then nods.

"Pack your stuff young lady, we'll be in Boston in a few minutes!"

She smiles and runs to her cabin, hearing the captain laugh in distance. She looks at her two other dresses lying on the floor. She feels deceived to not have anything good looking to see Connor. She looks at herself. She wears a light green dress Vicki gave her when she started working in the kitchen. In her suitcase there is the dress she saved from the fire and her favorite prostitute dress which squeezes up her boobs and fully exposes a leg. She puts them back in the suitcase and closes it. She joins the captain, watching his seamen do their job.

"Would you need some company to get somewhere?"

"Just some indications" she says, remembering she doesn't know the city at all.

"To where?"

"The Mohawk Village"

He looks at her, very intrigued.

"It's very dangerous to go there alone, especially for a young lady like you"

"I HAVE to go alone"

"I insist that you don't"

She looks at him with all the possible frustration ever.

"At least you could stop at the Davenport Homestead on your way. I know a young man who can bring you there safely"

Her expression changes to curiosity.

"Ok then. What's this man's name?"

"Connor Kenway…"

She stops listening to him.

_"He leads me directly to Connor?! This can't be possible! It's a dream!"_

She follows the captain to the port, struggling hard to not run around and scream of joy. She holds her smile the best she can.

"Which way should I take?" she asks.

He explains her precisely where to go and waves her goodbye. Some people look at her with questions in the eyes. Nothing can trouble her happiness, she's about to see Connor.

Coming out of the city and entering a rural area, she remembers Burden. Though he's gone and might not come back alive, the murder still failed. How will she tell him that? She decides to continue her way through the woods to make sure nobody sees her.

* * *

Connor watches his traps from a high branch. He looks around, trying to clear his mind from his trip. He wipes his face and grunts, unable to stop thinking about Florence. He struggles between anger, affection and attraction. He grunts again; mad at himself for being so distracted because of a simple girl. On his left, he hears footsteps on leaves. They are slow and very light. About to look at this person, he hears drums and English speaking. He looks at them with rage.

"Hey you!" calls the front redcoat. "There, near the bushes!"

Connor looks down to see a woman in a light green dress. She seems paralyzed of fear as the redcoats approach her.

"It is forbidden to be here" he tells her.

"You should show her captain!" yells the one at the back.

Connor's hand hovers above his rope dart, ready to attack.

"Let's do this, guys!" he says, grabbing her arm.

Connor throws the rope dart to the man's neck and pulls him up. Once down, he kills them all, mixing tomahawk and hidden blade hits. Florence stands there, quiet, watching the scene. After he breaks the last man's neck, he turns around to face her.

"C-Connor?" she weakly asks.

He narrows his eyes and pulls off his hood.

"Florence?"

She smiles but feels her eyes full of tears. He lifts his head in disdain.

"What the hell are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!" he says, a little louder than supposed.

Tears slowly drip from her eyes. She expected him to be angry but not that much.

"I… I have something to tell you" she says, becoming more serious and confident. "Something very important"

"Follow me to the homestead, we'll be safe there"

Connor opens the front door and invites Florence inside. An old man slowly steps closer to welcome Connor.

"Hello, lady" he politely says, noticing Connor's disdain expression. "What is your name and where are you from?"

"Florence Du Berger. I am from Quebec City. I came here to find Connor"

His jaw tightens. Tears come up to Florence's eyes, feeling very bad when she looks at Connor's mad expression. He seems to get angrier at every word she says.

"You met him at the inn?"

"Yes. I helped him to kill Burden"

"How did you help?"

"I poured poison in a glass of beer and gave it to him"

He turns around to look at Connor.

"You challenged yourself with subtlety. Good"

Connor nods but still looks angrily at Florence.

"But the poison didn't work" she quickly says.

"What do you mean?" asks Connor, stepping closer.

"Y-You… f-failed…" she hardly says, starting to cry.

"I failed what?"

"Burden is alive"

Connor and Achilles are shocked.

"Jeff told me that the salesman who sold you the poison was a scammer. Less than the quarter of the flask was real poison. He only got sick and-"

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" he roars before leaving the homestead.

Achilles wraps an arm around Florence's shoulders.

"He's mad at me" she desperately cries.

"Follow me to the kitchen" he tells her in a soft voice. "We'll sit and you'll tell me everything, ok?"

She nods and follows him to the kitchen. She sits on the first chair she sees, drained by what just happened. Achilles pulls a chair closer and sits next to her.

"How did you meet Connor?"

"He was at the inn, like any normal customer. Burden came to bother me but he soon fell unconscious. He carried him to a room. To thank him, my boss obligated me to spend the night with him"

Achilles simply nods, trying to get information without rushing her. He notices a few scars on her face and neck.

"Nothing happened, I swear!" she quickly says, looking at Achilles, eyes worried.

"It's okay. What do you know about Connor?"

"Not much" she says, knowing it's not the answer he wanted. "I felt like he was nice and protective. He even saved me from a redcoat who was about to rape me the next day in the city"

"Really?"

"He came out of nowhere and killed him. I asked him what he was and he told me he was an Assassin"

"Do you know what he meant?"

"Now yes. A girl who works with me is the daughter of an Irish Templar"

Achilles nods and continues asking her a few questions.

* * *

Florence watches the moon from the second floor's porch. She turns around to footsteps, hoping to see Connor.

"Oh, hi Achilles" she says, trying to hide her deception.

"You should rest. You are safe here"

"I don't know…"

"Don't mind Connor's attitude, he'll understand. It's not your fault"

"I see… but it's Burden who worries me"

"How can it bother you? He's alive but it's not your problem"

"Yes, it is" she says, her voice breaking in sobs. "He wants me to be his wife…"

"What?!"

"He obligated a notary to make him a marriage act to get me… I've always been his favorite… He raped me and beat me several times" she says, shaking from everywhere.

Achilles wipes his face with his hand. Florence looks at him, guilty.

"We are in trouble…" she weakly says.

"Not for now… I'll inform Connor about it. Now, you go to sleep"

She nods and goes back inside. She picks a random room and enters. She puts her suitcase down and lets herself fall on her back on the bed.

_"What the hell is wrong with me? He can't be happy to see me! I'm just a stupid bunch of trouble!"_

She starts crying.

_"He seemed so different from the Connor I met… What happened to him?"_

Outside, Achilles brought a chair on the porch and waits for Connor to come back. He appears a few moments later, as mad as he was before leaving.

"I think you have a few things to tell me, young man"

"I shouldn't have asked her to help me; I should have done it myself as usual…"

"It's not the problem. Anybody could have got scammed. The real problem is that she's Burden's wife"

"WHAT?!"

"He threatened a man named Jefferson to get a marriage act. He thinks SHE tried to kill him and he wants revenge"

"He's a real bastard"

"I'd like to keep her here. She has nowhere to go and we could keep an eye on her"

"You want this troublemaker to live with us?"

"Why do you show so much reluctance towards her?"

Connor sighs, trying to find something intelligent to say.

"She said she felt like you were someone nice and caring. She felt safe. What's that mean attitude?"

"Because of her, I let my guard down and failed my assassination!"

"I failed too, it's part of life"

Connor sighs and enters the house.

"At least try to be nice to her"

A door slams shut. Achilles sighs, hoping he'll get over his failure soon.

* * *

Florence wakes up with a horrible headache. She stretches and looks down at herself. The bottom of her skirt is all messed up because of her little ride in the woods.

_"Nice! Now I really have nothing to wear!"_

She sighs and stands up. She looks down at her opened suitcase. Both dresses remind her of bad memories : the black one for her prostitute years and the pink one for the end of her family life. She picks up her black and red prostitute dress and puts it on. When she's done, she opens the curtains to look outside. She's welcomed by a beautiful sunshine.

_"I should go on the porch and relax"_

She slowly opens her room's door and walks quietly to the porch. Once outside, she climbs on the ledge and sits, leaning her back on the brick wall. She stares at the blue sky.

* * *

Achilles goes to the kitchen and sees Connor eating breakfast.

"You're up early, boy"

"Couldn't sleep" he dryly replies.

Achilles sighs and sits next to him.

"You have to stop being mad at her"

"It's her fault if it failed"

"Do you even hear what you're saying?"

Connor looks up at him with knives in the eyes.

"She poured the poison in a glass, filled it with beer and gave it to him. The only thing that failed was the poison"

"Then I'm stupid… I'm an Assassin, I don't need help killing people, I can do it myself!"

Achilles exhales deeply.

"Now you're right. This sentence was completely stupid"

Connor growls and stands up to put his empty plate on the counter. He sighs, starting to think Achilles may be right.

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Understand that it's not her fault neither yours if he's still alive"

Connor nods, slowly accepting the fact.

"She was beaten and raped by weaker men than you though she feels safe with you around. Try to give her some confidence"

Connor nods again.

"You're right. I messed up"

"Now go see her and apologize for your bad attitude"

"Where can I find her?"

"I heard her walk to the porch up there" he says, pointing the ceiling with his chin. "She might be still there"

Connor nods and goes to his room to get his coat then heads outside.

* * *

Florence got lost in her thoughts, staring at a cloud. She hears quiet grunting coming from the opposite side of the porch. She looks towards the ledge.

"What are you doing up here?" asks Connor, hanging on the ledge.

"Nothing" she replies, looking back at her cloud.

"Can I join you?" he shyly asks, pulling himself up to sit on the ledge.

She nods. He gets off the ledge then walks up to her. She looks at him with a little piece of fear shining in her icy eyes. He looks at her clothing, disappointed.

"You don't have to wear this kind of dress here"

"I have nothing else…"

"What's in your suitcase then?"

"There was this one" she says, pointing her chest, "the one I wore yesterday is all shredded because of the woods and the other…" she swallows loudly, "has burnt spots so just no"

Connor is intrigued.

"Were you in a fire?"

She nods, holding a tear.

"It's how I got at the inn when I was 17…"

"How old are you now?"

"Turned 19 a few days ago…"

She looks at him, feeling like she could tell him everything.

"This fire killed both of my parents and completely destroyed the house"

He instantly steps closer and puts a hand on her shoulder, feeling her softly shaking. He swallows loudly, remembering how fire took his mother from him.

_"Achilles was right : we judge people too fast. I never saw her that way…"_

"Florence" he says, letting his hand slide to her wrist, "I am sorry for disrespecting you when you arrived" he takes her hand, "Do you forgive me?"

She looks him in the eyes, finally recognizing the Connor she met and slept with.

"It's okay. I expected you to be angry anyway. I bring you trouble"

"You came to get help" he says, leaving her hand. "And it was the right thing to do. I'll make sure you are safe"

"Thanks" she whispers, looking him in the eyes with a tiny smile on her scratched lips.

He feels his cheeks blushing, looking at her incredibly pale eyes. He breaks the stare, hearing a horse coming. He goes to the opposite ledge to see who's coming.

"Ratohnhaké:ton?" loudly asks a man's voice.

He replies in a happy tone. Florence, not understanding a single sound of what they say, joins Connor. The conversation stops when he looks up at her.

"Come on" he invites her, "he's an old friend"

She follows him, more than happy to meet one of his friends. He opens the front door and hugs his friend. After exchanging a few words in their native language, they look back at Florence.

"Florence, this is Kanen'tó:kon"

He nods her hello and looks at her clothing then look at Connor with a smile on the corner of his lips.

"No, it's not what you think" says Connor with a severe voice.

He shrugs.

"There's a fire at the Village tonight. You're invited", he looks at Florence, "both"

Connor exchanges a few words with his friend before saying goodbye.

"What do we do?" she asks him.

"First, we'll find you some clothes. Then, you come with me to this fire"

A huge smile forms on her face.

"I'll get ready"

He nods and watches her go upstairs. Achilles looks at him from the living room.

"I see you did what I told you"

He nods then goes to his room to get ready too.

* * *

**I hope you liked it, reviews are greatly appreciated! And if you have any ideas you'd like to share, PM me :)**


	8. Chapter 8 - Different paths

**Hey guys! Sorry for the LONG waiting... I apologize about that. I'll post more often, I promise. Anyway, here it is so enjoy :P**

* * *

Connor runs to Prudence's house. He waves at her.

"Hi Connor! How are you?"  
"Fine and you?" he replies, trying to catch his breath.  
"Fine, thank you! Do you need something?"  
"I'd like to borrow some women clothes for… a friend"

She looks at him with tons of questions in the eyes.

"I'll see what I can do…" she says, inviting him to follow her in the house.

A moment later, she brings him a light yellow dress.

"Thank you! I'll bring it back to you as soon as I can"

They says goodbye and Connor runs back to the homestead.

* * *

Florence looks at herself in the mirror, disappointed.

_"I wish those people will understand my situation… I look horrible"_

She's surprised by knocks on her door. She opens and smiles to Connor.

"Are you ready?" he asks her.

She looks down.

"I don't know if I should go there…"  
"Why?"  
"What will they think of me?"

He takes out Prudence's dress he was hiding behind his back. She touches it and smiles.

"Where did you get this?"  
"It doesn't matter. Now put it on while I prepare a horse"

She takes the dress in her hands, completely unbelieving. She quickly changes and looks at her reflection in the mirror. She smiles then runs downstairs. She can see by the window that Connor just finished preparing the horse. She goes out.

"Is it too early to go?" she asks.  
"I think it's fine. Are you ready?"

She nods, watching him get on the horse. He helps her get on and commands the horse to go forward. Feeling Florence taking grip on his coat, he starts wondering if it was a good idea to take her to the Village.

* * *

"Here we are" says Connor, commanding the horse to stop.

Florence leans to the side and sees a tall wooden fence. Kanen'tó:kon, leaning on a tree to wait for them, waves at Connro with a happy smile. He gets off the horse and helps Florence to do the same. Kanen'tó:kon enters the village. Connor gently pushes Florence by putting his big hand in her back. She shivers and follows then men inside. Once inside, she feels like a child. She doesn't have enough of 2 eyes to see the whole new world she just entered.

"So, what do you think?"

She opens her mouth to says something but closes it. Words simply don't come. She continues looking around while Connor greets many people in his native language. A very old woman comes to them, assisted by Kanen'tó:kon. Connor introduces Florence to her.

"I'm glad to meet you…" she says, trying to find the right title for this woman.  
"Clan Mother" completes Connor.

By the corner of his eye, Connor saw a familiar face. He turns around to face a fury look.

_"Damn, not her…"_

She smirks and gets closer, making sure to make her hips bounce to each side while she walks, throwing her very long black hair behind her. Clan Mother takes Florence to the fire.

"Ratohnhaké:ton! You're finally back!" she tells him in a seductive voice. "I missed you so much"  
"Seriously, Kaneela? You still didn't understand?"  
"Understand what?" she asks with an innocent voice.

Connor exhales deeply. She gets closer to him.

"Don't do that" he growls. "I'm not stepping into your game"  
"It's not a game sweetie. You know that we are meant to be together…"  
"Pff, like I give a fuck"

He turns around and walks towards the fire, trying to wipe the anger from his face. He sits on the ground next to Kanen'tó:kon, who looks at him with a curious smile.

"Kaneela?"

Connor nods, staring at the fire.

"Looks like she still wants you"  
"I don't like her. She's a slut"  
"I guess you're right…"

Connor looks at him with concern.

"You like her?"  
"Well, she's hot but… she had sex with, like, every man in the village except you and me so…"  
"Don't go near her. She bites"

Both chuckle. They join some men in a discussion. On the other side of the fire, Florence is the new attraction for the little girls. Two of them are making her breads while she draws in the sand with an other. Clan Mother looks at her with a smile.

"You are special, Florence"

She looks up at her, surprised.

"What do you mean?"  
"You must be special. Ratonhnaké:ton never brought a girl here"  
"Really?"

The old woman nods. Florence feels her cheeks blushing.

_"The only girl he ever brought here? I can't believe it!"_

She's surprised by some tapping on her shoulder. She looks up to see a native woman.

"Can I talk to you?"

She looks at the children around her. They are done with her braids and look at her, smiling. The woman tells them something in her native language. They go away, disappointed. The youngest hugs Florence before leaving.

"Follow me"

Florence quickly stands up and follows her behind the long house.

"How long have you been with Connor?"  
"… Excuse me?"  
"Why did he bring you here?"  
"I… don't know…"

Both women look at each other with hate.

"What's your name?"asks Florence.  
"Kaneela" she hisses.  
"My name is Florence"

She tries to keep up against this very intimidating woman. If a look could kill, she'd be a bunch of meat by now.

"Where did you meet him?"  
"None of your business!" exclaims Florence, insulted.

Kaneela gets closer to her and looks her in the eyes with all the hate ever possible.

"You better leave. Ratonhnaké:ton is MINE. Remember"  
"Yeah" she turns around, "whatever"

She heads back to the fire, hearing Kaneela mumbling in her language, probably insulting her. She finds Conor and sits next to him, exhaling deeply.

"What happened?" asks Connor.  
"Never mind. Girls' stuff"  
"Kaneela?"

She looks up to him, wishing he would understand.

"We better go" he says, standing up.

She follows him, quiet, while he says goodbye to everyone. They get on their horse and head back to the homestead.

"What did she tell you?"  
"… that you belong with her…"

He sighs.

"She's wrong. I have never been with her and I never will. She's a crazy bitch. I f she ever tries to get to you, tell me"

She nods against his back, progressively feeling sleepy. At the homestead, he gets off the horse and helps her. He pauses as soon as she touches the ground, hands still on her waist. He quickly turns his head to the side, like a cat would do when he hears something.

"Did you hear that?"  
"Hum… No…"

He takes his hands off her and quickly looks to the side. Something like footsteps on leaves came to his ears.

"Let's go inside" he whispers, sliding out his right hidden blade.

Florence follows him, shaking from everywhere. He quietly closes the door behing them. He pulls off his hood and sighs.

"There's someone lurking outside. You shouldn't sleep alone tonight"

She looks up to him, not sure if she understood what he meant.

"W-what?"  
"There's someone after you of after me. You'll be safer if I can keep an eye on you"  
"How will you do this?"  
"We'll sleep in my bed"

The reply slipped from his mouth without him noticing it. Florence tries to smile.

"Okay. Where's your room?"

He heads to his room, followed by Florence. He picks a shirt from the floor and hands it to her. He awkwardly turns around to let her undress. She chuckles and takes off her dress to put on his shirt.

"Ouch" she whispers, holding her shoulder.  
"Are you okay?" he asks, quickly turning around.  
"Yes, I just squeezed a bruise and it hurts.

He steps closer and watches her rub her arm. She lifts up her glance to look him in the eyes.

"Connor?"  
"Yes?"  
"Are you still mad at me?"

He smiles a little, touched by her puppy eyes.

"No, it's okay. It's not your fault neither mine"

She smiles.

"There are so many questions I wann ask you"  
"What kind of questions?"  
"Well… many…" she says, holding a yawn.  
"We better go to sleep" he says, softly patting her shoulder.

She nods and both lay in the bed. She gets closer to him. He stretches an arm and invites her to cuddle.

_"What did I just do? Gosh, I have to control myself…"_

They get comfortable and fall asleep in no time. Outside, near the window, Kaneela watched everything. She grits her teeth, wishing a cougar would kill this girl. She growls and heads back to the village.

* * *

Logan runs to the inn. He slams the front door open.

"Woah young man, calm down" says Vicki.  
"Burden is coming" he says, panting. "What do we do?!"

She scratches her hair, trying to make a plan. Too bad, the lieutenant and two other soldiers are already at the door.

"Hi Vicki! Where's my wife?"  
"Not here" she says, cleaning the counter.  
"Did some men take her to a room?"  
"Nope. She packed her stuff and disappeared"  
"It's not time to make jokes. I waited 6 more weeks to get her so tell me where is my wife"  
"She just told you" says June from the back of the room. "She disappeared and we have no idea where she went"

He looks at his soldiers.

"Tell everyone to look for her. She can't have gone so far…"

He leaves with his soldiers. Jeff dares to peek from the top of the stairs. When he doesn't see any redcoat, he comes downstairs.

"Thanks sweetheart" he says to June.  
"You owe me" she hisses, not even looking at him. "Didn't you have some work to do today?"

He nods then leaves, intimidated for the first time by her. He slowly walks under the heavy rain to his office. He walks in and leaves the door open. He lets himself fall heavily in his chair. He puts his hands to his face.

_"God damn it! What did I do? I have to stop working for them; it's ruining my life… and the other's…"_

He leans backwards in his seat and closes his eyes. All he can hear are his fast heartbeat and the rain falling on the windows. He tries to relax and find a way to get out of this.

_"June was right all the way. I have to stop before it really gets illegal. And I better do it quick before I lose her. I'm already losing her…"_

Just to think he might lose her, the woman of his dreams, tears come to his eyes. His hopes to get married to someone he loves, to have beautiful children raised in a happy family and to live happily ever after are slowly fading. If June decides to break up with him, it all falls apart. He'll never find another woman as beautiful, intelligent, funny and talkative as her. He feels his chest burning, lost in the mess his future could become. He crosses his arms on top of his desk and puts his forehead on top of them. He breathes heavily, trying to not cry.

* * *

Burden walks back to his fort, very angry. None of his soldiers neither him found anything that could track Florence. She literally disappeared. Logan, up on the fence for the watch, looks at how furious the lieutenant seems. He dismisses his soldiers and goes directly to the house, slamming the door shut. An older soldier comes to take Logan's shift. He leaves the fort to get to the inn to inform everyone about the situation. He tries to push the door but it's locked. He leans on the wall and slowly sits on the ground. The door unlocks and opens just a creak, enough for a head to come out.

"Ça va pas?" asks a young blonde girl.

He looks up at her with guilt. He knows that they won't understand each other by talking so he tries to think hard to make her understand that he may be in trouble. She motions him to follow her inside. She closes and locks the door behind him.

"Merci" he hardly pronounces.

She smiles and takes his hand to lead him to a room with her.

* * *

Jefferson wakes up, hearing knocks on his doorframe. Two noble looking men wait for him to say something.

"Good morning gentlemen. Excuse me for the mess" he says, looking around his office. "Please, come in and have a seat"

They come in and sit.

"My name is Haytham Kenway and this is my associate, Charles Lee" says the first one, taking off his hat.  
"Jefferson Norwich, notary. What can I do for you?"  
"We heard that you've been very busy with the army"  
"Yes… this is why I was asleep on my desk…" he lies, hoping they will believe it.  
"We also heard that your work is borderline illegal…" says Lee.

Jeff gulps and pulls the collar of his shirt.

"Did you come here to arrest me?"  
"No, of course not" says Lee, trying to comfort him.  
"We came to offer you to associate with us" says Haytham. "We'd need a man of law among us"

Jeff passes a hand through his hair, biting his lower lip.

"I can't risk doing illegal things anymore. I'm sorry"  
"Don't worry, you'll have our protection" says Lee.  
"You'll live a normal life like any other man" says Haytham. "Plus protection and social status"  
"A normal life, you say?"  
"You'll be able to get married and have a family, as long as you keep our association a secret"

He sighs, considering the offer. Haytham stands up.

"Think about it. We could come back by Wednesday…"  
"Sounds good" he says, realizing he'll have plenty of time to think. "I'll see you Wednesday"  
"Good"

They leave without saying goodbye. A few seconds later, Charles comes back.

"And don't worry about the army. We already made sure they wouldn't bother you anymore"

He sighs, relieved.

"Thank you so much, gentlemen"

He politely smiles then leaves. Jeff leans backwards in his chair, wondering what these men work for to provide him protection, status and salary. He smiles then decides he'll go see if June feels better and tell her about the opportunity he just got. He puts away a few things from his office then leaves, already confident for his new job. He gets at the inn, smiling. He opens the door to see June from the back. He quietly goes up to her and hugs her from behind.

"Hello darling"

She looks up to him with an unsure smile.

"Gosh, you look happy. What happened to you?"

She turns around to face him. He smiles more.

"You look gorgeous" he says, taking her hands in his.  
"Would you like to take a seat and have a beer?"  
"As long as you are with me"

They go to the bar. June fills a bock of beer and joins him.

"I have amazing news to tell you!"  
"What is it?"  
"I'm not working for the army anymore"  
"Really?" she says, almost leaping of joy.  
"Some men came to see me this morning. They want me to be their associate. I think I'll accept"  
"What are they working for?"  
"I still don't know but I'll have a lot of advantages"  
"I'm so happy for you sweetheart!" she exclaims, hugging him.

He hugs her tight, happy to see they are still the loving couple they've always been.

"I love you so much" he whispers to her ear.  
"I love you too" she replies, a huge smile on her face.

He pulls away to meet her beautiful big brown eyes highlighted by the freckles all over her cheekbones.

"I'm so happy I didn't lose you" he says, cupping her cheek.  
"I was afraid you had changed but you didn't"

He leans in and kisses her. June pulls away to look him in the eyes.

"Let's take a room"

He nods and they quickly go up the stairs while Logan and the blonde girl go downstairs. He pulls a chair for her to sit when the door slams open. Burden comes in, more furious than the night before. He instantly spots Logan and goes towards him.

"I didn't see you during the researches last night"  
"I was on the watch at the fort"  
"You were supposed to come with me!"  
"I asked a soldier to replace me"  
"Why did you do that?!"

Logan gulps, paralyzed of fear. Burden grabs the collar of his shirt and tackles him to the wall.

"You know something about her, admit it!"  
"No… I know nothing…"  
"I often saw you wandering alone here"  
"I came to see her" he says, pointing the blonde girl.

He puts a hand to his throat.

"Stop lying to me, stupid teen! Some witness saw you at the port with a girl. She got on a ship"  
"She needed directions to the port so I accompanied her"  
"The witness heard everything you said, little piece of crap. You were with my wife!"  
"No…"

He lets him fall to the floor, loading his gun.

"Who was the girl with you?" he asks, pointing his gun towards Logan.  
"I don't-"

He gets interrupted by the gunshot. He squeezes his abdomen in pain.

"WHO WAS THE GIRL WITH YOU?! SAY IT!"  
"Flo… rence…"

He growls then leaves. June, Jeff and the blonde girl take him to a doctor.

* * *

Burden goes to another tavern to meet the witness.

"The boy didn't say enough. Did you see more?"  
"I saw him negotiate with the captain to get a girl on his ship so she could run away from you"  
"Did you get where this ship was going?"  
"Boston"

He stands up and leaves for the fort. After spending the rest of the night making his plans, he gathers his troops at sunset. Getting ready to speak, he takes off some dust from his coat.

_"I'm coming to get you, bitch…"_

* * *

**I know this is not my best but don't worry, some action will come! I just have to let some time pass. Anyway, reviews would be greatly appreciated :)**


	9. Chapter 9 - Trouble

**Hey guys! Sorry for the waiting... Chapter 9, yay! :P**

* * *

Connor and Florence wake up at the same time. Everything is still dark. They look each other in the eyes. Florence bites her lower lip.

_"Damn he's so hot… He's so strong and protective… If he only knew from what dream I just woke up…"_

"Your sleep seemed troubled" he whispers.  
"Yeah, couldn't really sleep" she lies.  
"Me neither" he replies, putting his head on the pillow to stare at the ceiling.  
"What should we do?" she sighs.

He looks her in the eyes, still amazed by her irises' color.

_"She looks way better than when I left her. She seems healthier and shows less bruises; just a few subtle scars here and there. And her eyes… damn will I ever get over them?"_

"Didn't you have some questions to ask me?"  
"Okay" she says, smiling. "If it gets too personal for you, you don't have to answer. I can understand"

He turns on his side and leans on his left elbow.

"Same for you"  
"Sounds good"

She looks up, trying to find her first question.

"Okay. Remember that you're not obligated to answer"  
"It's okay, go on"  
"Tonight, at the fire, you didn't tell me if someone was your family"  
"We consider each other as family"  
"I mean… direct family"

He makes a confused expression, hoping she won't ask what he thinks.

"You must have parents! You didn't just appear out of nowhere"

He looks away. She pulls herself up and sits, worried she said something wrong. She puts a hand on his shoulder.

"I… I know what you've been through…" he starts, struggling to hold the strong emotions threatening to explode.  
"You're… orphaned?"  
"Kind of…" he whispers, inhaling deeply to keep his emotions inside. "My mother died in a fire too"

She gasps in surprise. Tears come to her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Connor… How old were you?"  
"Only five years old…"

She wipes a tear and softly takes his hand, interlacing their fingers together.

"How was the fire put on?"  
"The Templars did it… because we were in their way"

He looks away, feeling tears coming to his eyes. She gently rubs his big knuckles.

"Another thing is that I'm only half Mohawk…"  
"What do you mean?"  
"My father is an English Templar…"  
"Oh…"

He looks at her, feeling better for telling her such things. He couldn't say why he feels so comfortable around her. She squeezes his hand a little. He sighs heavily, trying to find a question to ask her to change of subject.

"My turn now" he says.  
"What's your question?" she asks, playfully smiling.  
"What happened to you since I was gone?"

She stares at the ceiling, remembering the events. She tells him everything in a very detailed way.

"Then I found him in a room…" her voice breaks, shaking. "He… beat me… and swore he'd make me regret that…"  
"So he obligated Jeff to redact a marriage act to get to you"  
"Exactly. Logan, a young redcoat, helped me to escape"  
"And here you are"

She nods with a tiny smile.

_"I just can't stop looking at her eyes… She looks good with braids… God, what's going on in my mind?"_

She yawns and lies on her back.

"Enough for tonight?" he asks.  
"Yes. I guess I can sleep now"  
"Good" he says, lying next to her.

She looks for his hand under the sheets and holds it like she did a few minutes before. He smiles a little and closes his eyes, followed by her.

* * *

Logan slowly opens his eyes to see Doctor Chapman and the blond girl.

"How do you feel, young man?"  
"Not bad… Is everything ok?"  
"Just rest and avoid movement. The bullet is out and the wound is ok"

He nods, looking at the blonde girl. She says something to the doctor and he replies in something that sounded like French. They look back at him.

"I'll leave you with Melody. If there's a problem, I'll be in my office" he says, leaving.

Melody and Logan look at each other with shy smiles. She comes closer to take his hand with a reassuring look. They would like to speak to each other and talk for hours but the language is the problem. They simply look each other in the eyes. Some weird tension can be felt in the room. They both like each other but the awkwardness of the situation makes it even harder. They only language they can understand from each other would be body language, which they use as much as they can. Logan remembers the first night he slept with her. He smiles a little more, staring at her green eyes. She stares at his blue ones too, thinking he's the cutest and sweetest soldier she ever met. He gently caresses her knuckles with his thumb. She chuckles and passes a hand in his very curly blonde hair. By the window, they can see the port. They can hear army drums and people chatting. Melody stands up to go towards the window. She lifts the curtain to see outside. A British war ship is leaving the port. She frowns to see the redcoat standing next to the captain more precisely. She gasps in surprise.

"What?" says Logan from the bed, trying to stretch his neck to see something. "What's wrong?"  
"Burden… B-boat…"  
"Oh no… He's going to get Florence!"

No translation needed for Melody this time. She sits at the end of the bed and sighs. Logan stares at her from the other end of the bed, wondering how he could comfort her.

* * *

Connor leaves early in the morning to go hunting. Not so long after he got a little deep in the woods, many animals can be seen. He hides in a bush, wondering if he should get some rabbit or fox. Taking out his bow, he hears footsteps. He lifts up his glance…

_"Kaneela?! What the hell is this bitch doing here?!"_

He stands up, she turns around. She wears a very short animal skin dress that shows a lot of her cleavage.

"You like my new dress? I just made it and wanted to show you"  
"Goddamn, Kaneela, what is wrong with you?!"  
"I know winter is coming but I'll keep it for our intimacy"  
"What intimacy?"

She steps so close that her boobs almost touch his chest.

"The one we'll have all alone doing some… activities. We'll get there as soon as you get that you like me"  
"Is it because I'm the only guy who didn't fuck you that you're after me?"

She shrugs.

"I want you so bad, Ratohnhaké:ton" she says in a bedroom voice.  
"You better give up. I don't like you so forget it"

He turns around and walks away, determined to hunt at the opposite end of the homestead on a very high branch. At the homestead, he sees Florence and Achilles laughing and talking. He smiles a little and decides to join them.

"Hi Connor" says Achilles. "We were waiting for you"  
"Why?"  
"Prudence wants to give some clothes to Florence. Can you accompany her there?"  
"Yeah, no problem"

She smiles and follows him. Achilles watches them go, totally aware of what's going on in their minds. He chuckles and goes back inside.

Connor usually walks fast – or even runs – to where he has to be but now he walks very slowly. Florence does the same. They stay at a respectful distance from the other and stare at the ground.

"How was the hunt this morning? You came back early…"  
"I changed my mind" he lies, wanting to forget about Kaneela.  
"Okay…" she says, looking away.

They continue their slow walk. A strong cold wind blows, making Florence almost fall off her feet. Connor catches her.

"Sounds like we're going to face a storm soon" she says.  
"It's about time… It's getting weird, a winter without snow"

They continue a few steps before noticing he still has his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Before he gets the chance to take it off, wind blows again. A strong gust surprises them. Florence trips and brings Connor down with her. She lands on her back, Connor on top of her. He relies on his hands and lifts himself up in a grunt. They look at each other with eyes wide open. Only a few inches separate their faces. She looks him in the eyes, feeling a heat spreading from her chest to her whole body. He feels the same with his heart beating harder and faster. Though he has no idea how to act around a girl or how to deal with his body's reactions, he feels like he knows what to do, like it was part of his instincts. He feels her legs around his hips though she manages to keep them as far from him as she can. She tries to keep her breath steady, suddenly remembering her dream. He puts a strand of her hair behind her ear; this simple contact making both shiver. He gets closer to her, guided by his feelings. She leans in too, thrilled by her emotions exploding in fireworks. Both pause, hearing an animal growl behind them. In the blink of an eye, Connor stands up to jump on the wolf and stab its neck with his hidden blade. He turns around and extends his hand towards Florence. She takes it and gets up, slowly assimilating what just happened.

"We better hurry up before the whole pack comes to us"

She nods and follows him, walking as fast as she can.

* * *

Connor is outside alone, continuing his hunting while Florence tries on some clothes with Prudence. He caught a few rabbits and a fox. About to climb a tree, he hears footsteps. He looks towards the sound and loses his good mood. She approaches him, swaying her hips and popping her breasts up.

"What do you want?" he asks, annoyed.  
"I want you" she says, smoothing her very long black hair.  
"For one last time, Kaneela, I don't want you at all" he says, taking time to articulate. "I don't like you. I never did and I never will"  
"But… We are meant to be…" she says, faking to cry.  
"How can you know this?"  
"I know it, that's all!"

He exhales deeply.

"Please, go back to the village and stay there. I don't want to see you again"  
"Fine! I'll leave you alone with your stupid outsider slut!"  
"Her name is Florence and she WAS a prostitute by obligation"  
"That's it, protect your bitch! Someday you'll see what you've lost!"

She turns around and runs away.

_"I hope this was the last time I saw her. She really is a crazy bitch"_

He decides to go back to Prudence's house.

* * *

Prudence's husband greets Connor.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Connor"  
"She's not my girlfriend" he replies, blushing a little.  
"Prudence says that she likes you a lot"  
"What?"  
"Trust me, boy, when a girl says that she feels safe and at peace with a man, it means something"

Connor nods, not sure of what he should do or say. Happily, Florence and Prudence come out of the house at this time.

"Don't tell me you don't have clothes, now!" jokes Connor, looking at the pile of folded clothes in Florence's hands.

She chuckles.

"If you need anything, don't be shy to ask. I'll be glad to help you" says Prudence.  
"Thank you so much"

They say goodbye and head back to the homestead.

"Will you show me what she gave you?" he asks in a playful tone.  
"You mean… try them on and show you?"

He nods.

"Okay then. I'll put my favorite" she says, running to the homestead.

He follows her until she slams his room's door shut in front of him.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

She giggles and separates her pile of clothes on his bed. She looks at them, remembering every comment Prudence said. She picks the sky blue one and unfolds it.

_"You look amazing, Florence"  
"Really?"  
"Connor's gonna melt when he'll see you wearing it"_

She takes off her dress, the conversation with Prudence still echoing in her head. She delicately puts the new dress on. She gently places the lace before going to the door. She turns the knob to let Connor in. He comes in and looks at her, speechless. He opens his mouth to say something but gets cut by a long arrow crashing into the wall, breaking the window on its way.

"Hide under the bed" he tells her, taking out his hidden blades.

She nods and quickly crawls under the bed. Connor finishes breaking the window and jumps from it. Meanwhile, another arrow is shot at the same place. He looks up… to see Kaneela on a branch facing the window, ready to shoot another arrow. He climbs the tree up to her and disarms her from behind.

"Is she dead?" she asks.  
"You really tried to kill her?!"  
"It was my last chance, my only hope"  
"You've crossed boundaries, Kaneela" he growls.  
"You can't be with an outsider! You're meant to be with someone like you!"  
"Who are you to tell me what to do?"  
"There is nothing I can do to make you love me?"  
"You can't force someone to love"

She starts crying. He grabs her wrist.

"I'll take you back to the village and see what they'll do with you"

He looks towards the window.

"Florence!" he yells. "Everything's fine. You can come out. I'll be back soon"

He watches Kaneela climb down from the tree then they go to the village together.

Florence goes down the stairs, wiping dust from her dress.

"Is everything ok?" asks Achilles from the living room.  
"I guess" she says, sitting with him on the couch."I think it was Kaneela again"  
"This girl is crazy" he says. "Did she try to kill you?"

She nods. He sighs.

"I hope we're done with her. It's getting dangerous"

He chuckles.

"This isn't even 10% of what you could have been through by living here"

She gulps. He pats her shoulder.

"Don't worry. He knows how to take care of people. You are safe here"  
"Safe while a crazy bitch shoots arrows through the window. Pretty ironic…"

Both chuckle.

"I know I'll be fine here" she says. "I think it is how you feel when you feel… home"  
"This can be your home. You have nothing to do here except enjoy life"  
"I'm gonna need some training at that"

They continue discussing and joking until Connor comes back splattered with blood.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" she asks.  
"I'm fine. I just came across a bunch of redcoats" he says, pulling a chair to sit down.

He passes a hand through his hair and exhales deeply. He looks up at Florence while taking off his hood.

_"Wow… what can I say? She looks… great"_

* * *

_March 8__th__, 1778._

Jefferson and June eat breakfast at the inn.

"Today's the day that I will officially associate with them"  
"I'm so happy for you sweetheart… You're not in danger anymore!"

He nods, looking at her smile. He quickly finishes his breakfast.

"I have to go" he tells her, standing up. "Have a nice day!"

He kisses her then leaves. On his way, he gets lost in his mind, day dreaming about June. He keeps thinking about their future, how close he is to his dream. He enters the place where he was supposed to meet them and spots them easily. Haytham stands up to greet him.

"I see that you agreed to join us"  
"It's been a while that I made my choice"  
"Have a seat" says Lee, pointing the seat facing him.  
"Just one thing I'd like to clarify" he says, sitting down.  
"What is it?" asks Haytham.  
"You swear that I'll be able to have a normal life, with a wife and children, without problems?"  
"Keep us a secret and you'll be safe"

He sighs.

"Do you have a wife to ask that?" asks Lee, curious.  
"She's still not my wife but we're together and I want her to be happy and safe"  
"She'll be safe, I promise" says Haytham.  
"Thanks"

Haytham stands up.

"Gentlemen, if you all agree, I think it is time for Jefferson to officially join us"

Everybody nods; Jeff smiles. Haytham invites him to come closer to him. He steps closer. Haytham makes him swear his loyalty.

"You are now officially part of the Templar Order. Welcome, Jefferson"

* * *

**Hope you liked it, please review ;)**


	10. Chapter 10 - Love

**WARNING! Lots of love and ... some kind of "hot stuff" ;) Enjoy!**

* * *

_April 1__st__, 1778._

Florence is downstairs, cooking some breakfast with Achilles. Connor is still sleeping heavier than a brick in his bed. Achilles stares at Florence while she cooks, analyzing her.

"What's that smile on your face?" he asks.  
"What smile?" she says, turning around and blushing a little.  
"You look very happy to be here with Connor"  
"I am" she says, blushing more. "I wished so bad that he'd come back to get me but I decided to leave… I still can't believe what I've done"  
"You made the right choice. The boy seems to enjoy your presence"

She chuckles, turning red like a tomato.

"You shouldn't be shy. You should feel confident. He cares about people but he never did as much as he did for you"  
"Wow… I don't understand why he'd do so much"  
"You really don't understand?" he asks, lifting a brow.

She looks away.

"I am convinced that he likes you"

She looks up to him, eyes wide open. She never expected that coming from him.

"Are… you sure?"

He nods.

"I… I don't see what he could like from me…"  
"Are you serious?" asks Achilles with an annoyed voice.

She looks at him with sad eyes.

"I can't remember the last time I felt beautiful"  
"Just look at his eyes when he stares at you. I think it may be enough"

She makes a shy smile while playing with her fingers.

"And think about everything he did for you, how much he cares about your safety and how he looks at you. We helped some women that could easily have caught his eye but he never felt anything. You literally melted him"  
"Wow…"

Her mouth is still opened, as if her brain had frozen.

"How about you?"  
"What?" she asks, coming back to reality.  
"How do you feel about him?"  
"Hum… Well, for the physical aspect, I have nothing to say. I mean, any woman would fall for such a tall, strong and handsome man. I still don't understand much of his personality but I hope I will, someday…"  
"He opens himself to you"

She smiles, realizing how lucky she is. She remembers when Clan Mother told her she was special because Connor never brought a girl to the village. She feels a little more confident about how she acts, thinking that she may be able to get Connor.

"Let's eat breakfast then you'll be able to make up your mind. It's a lot to take in such a short time"

She nods and puts the food in plates. Connor opens his room's door which makes a loud creaking sound. He stretches and sleepily walks to the kitchen.

"Good morning" he says, scratching his messed up hair.  
"Want some breakfast?" asks Florence in an awkward voice, trying to stop imagining him naked.

He looks at the counter full of food and smells the delicious odor coming from it.

"Yes, I'll grab a plate"

Florence fills a plate and hands it to him.

"Thanks" he says, sitting next to Achilles while Florence grabs a plate.

They quietly eat breakfast.

"I have to go to the city" Achilles says, looking at Florence. "Would you like to come with me?"  
"A little fresh air can't hurt" she replies, smiling.  
"Good" he tells her before glancing at Connor. "And you?"

He lifts up his head. Florence can't help chuckling at his hamster cheeks and the scrambled eggs all around his lips.

"What, me?" he hardly pronounces, accidentally spitting a few pieces of half chewed food.  
"What will you do while we're gone?"

He chews faster to free his mouth for speaking. He swallows with difficulty.

"Excuse me… Hum, well… I still don't know"

Achilles nods and looks at him while slowly sipping his tea. Connor continues eating, trying to look subtly at Florence. The only thing he can stare at without being seen – at least, he hopes so – is her cleavage. Of course it is covered of scars and scratches here and there but they are way less visible than when they first met. He wouldn't say she got fat but she's not skinny anymore. She gained enough weight to be healthy and to have curves like when she was 17. He still wonders why some men would take pleasure to hurt a woman. Though she seems stronger and more confident, he sees her as a fragile human being who must be protected and… cherished. And how much he would like to "cherish" this girl. She's in his head all day as well as all night. When she doesn't physically share his bed, she is in his mind. He understands what's going on but he'll never admit it, not even to himself. She drives him crazy in a good way and some people are starting to notice it. Achilles stands up without Connor noticing it, too busy staring at Florence's boobs. She knows exactly what he's looking at but she doesn't get insulted. Usually she would get mad but it's not a random man who is staring at her. It's him, it's Connor. She tilts her head to the side to let her wavy brown hair fall to the middle of her exposed chest skin. Connor comes back to reality at the sight of a thick curled strand of hair in his field of view. He blinks many times before understanding what his brain and body are telling him.

"Want some more?" she asks.  
"Hum… Hum…" he looks around before looking at his empty plate. "No thanks"

He quickly stands up at the same time as Florence. They look each other in the eyes. She bites her lower lip, feeling the special tension around them. She slowly analyzes him from head to toe. His night shirt is half unbuttoned, revealing the muscles of his torso. She stares at them with desire. She desperately wants to be held against this strong and handsome man. She feels her lower stomach tingling in reaction at her thoughts. While she lowers her stare to his crotch, he looks at her entire body, trying to untangle the information his body throws at him. Those curly hair, those pale eyes, those breasts, those curves… What on her makes him want to do some special things to her? He can't deny it anymore: he likes her. At least, he wants her. He wants to make her feel alive. He wants to feel her bare skin against his and give her so much pleasure that she'll scream his name, begging for more. He can almost feel an erection growing in his pants. Florence knows that it is growing; she knows how men's parts work. And by the bulge forming in his crotch, she can easily see the size of his manhood. She makes a naughty smile and gets closer to him, drove by a want to tease him. He almost grunts at the closer sight of her breasts. She rises to the tip of her toes to reach his ear and whisper:

"You like me, don't you?"

Then she simply walks away like nothing happened. She goes up the stairs and disappears in her room. Connor shakes his head and looks at his crotch.

_"She's damn right. I can't lie anymore. I like her"_

He walks fast to his room and shuts the door right behind him. He unties his pants and sits on the bed. He looks at his hard member.

_"Damn… If only I could get a chance to show her another way…"_

He lies on his back and closes his eyes, trying to clear his mind. He fails. The only thing he can think of is Florence. He sees her in her black and red prostitute dress. He usually felt pity for her when she wore it but now, he feels a burning desire. He sees her walk back to a bed, slowly pulling the laces of her corset. He can't help but slowly drags his hand towards his lower stomach. He wraps his fingers around his member, wishing it would be a girl in particular doing it. He continues pleasing himself, nothing else on his mind than Florence and his feelings towards her.

Florence lies on her bed too. On the opposite of Connor, she doesn't try to stop her mind. She begs for more. She can't stop imagining them making out under the covers, burning of desire for each other. She pulls up her skirt to get access to this very sensitive part between her legs. She slides a finger to feel it already dripping. She delicately rubs her clito, craving for the pleasure she could never have at the inn. She bites her lower lip harder to contain the sounds she might make. She rubs it faster, wondering when she'd get the chance to scream because of Connor. Feeling the orgasm coming and knowing that Connor's room is right under hers, she lets all her sounds out. She comes and makes the last loud moan, shaking and feeling wonderful. She stays like this for a moment – just to enjoy it – then she puts her clothing back on.

_"Raping days are over. I will now know what pleasure and love are thanks to Connor. I just can't wait to get to him"_

She finishes placing her hair the way it was and looks at herself, thinking.

_There's not only physical attraction between us. I really feel good around him and I like him for who he is. Let's hope everything goes fine for us!"_

She goes down the stairs, not surprised to not see Connor. He is still in his room, totally amazed by what that girl makes him do.

_"I like her and just can't hide it. I must be with her…"_

He hears footsteps from the hallway. Achilles and Florence are leaving for the city. Florence follows Achilles to the stables happily. The old man tries to understand what could make her feel like this.

"Did something happen in the kitchen after I left?"  
"Well… I guess we just realized that we like each other"  
"It's about time" he jokes.

Both laugh.

"I feel good here. I think I did the right choice to come here"  
"Yes, you did, dear. And with Connor by your side, nothing can happen to you. You'll be fine here with us"

She looks at him gratitude. She now feels more confident than she has ever been.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Canada…_

June and Jeff fall back on the bed, sweating and panting. They look at each other, giggling.

"Well… That was… Wow" says June.  
"Amazing" replies Jeff before exhaling deeply.

He stretches an arm towards her so she can cuddle with him.

"It's been a long time we didn't do that" he says.  
"A wild fucking night… Yay!" she jokes.

Both laugh. Jeff holds her tighter, feeling like the time is right for the great demand.

"There's something wrong in what you just said, darling" he says, trying to distract her.

He releases her and bends to the floor to pick his pants.

"What do you mean?" she asks, sitting up. "We did it all night long, the sun is rising" she says, pointing the window.

Jeff tries to find the ring he hid in one of his pockets.

"Yes, but that kind of word is not very ladylike"  
"What should I say then?" she sighs, slightly annoyed.  
"I made love to you, my sweetheart"

He smiles, finally touching the precious object. He hides in his fist and sits back in the bed.

"Oh, sorry. But you did it well, it was awesome" she giggles. "I hope we'll get another chance to do it again"

Taking it for a cue, he takes her hand.

"We have our whole lives to do whatever we want together, my love. As long as you wish to live this life with me"

She smiles and interlaces her fingers with his.

"Of course I want to be with you forever, Jeff. What's that question?"  
"I think it would be time for us to move on"

She makes a confused expression, wondering where this conversation could be going.

"What do you mean by : move on?"

He gets off the bed and kneels on the floor, still holding her hand.

"Oh. My. God. Are you serious?!"  
"June, since the very first day I laid my eyes upon you, I knew I had found the one. You are the most beautiful, intelligent and talkative woman I have ever met. I love you with all my heart and I would be the happiest man on Earth if you chose to take me for husband so…"

He unfolds his hand to reveal the golden ring. June gasps in surprise.

"June McHaggis, will you marry me?"

She holds a cry while tears of joy drip from her eyes.

"Yes! Yes, I do want to marry you, Jeff!"

She screams of joy and literally throws herself on him. They fall on the floor in such a loud thump that everyone downstairs looks at the ceiling, wondering what's going on. They laugh and hug.

"Can you just… Let me put that ring on your finger?"

June giggles and pulls away to leave him some space.

"There" she says, showing her hand.

He slowly places the ring on her finger, smiling.

"This is beautiful, Jeff"  
"I had to find something that matches your beauty"

She giggles and picks up her dress.

"Now's the time to tell Vicki and everyone, don't you think?"  
"I'd scream at the top of my lungs in the middle of the street that I love you and we're getting married!"

She smiles more and puts her clothes back on, followed by Jeff. As soon as she's done, she runs downstairs, shaking her hands in the air like a teenager. Vicki stops cleaning the counter and looks at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you, June?"  
"Nothing, Vicki. It's amazing, I'm getting married!" she screams, showing her hand.

She takes a closer look then smiles.

"Congratulations, my dear!"  
"Who's the lucky man?" asks a man at the bar.  
"It's me!" says Jeff from the stairs, waving at him.

Many men come to congratulate him while the girls rush towards June to see her ring. They look at each other with stars in the eyes.

* * *

Connor is sitting at the bottom of a tree with Kanen'tó:kon. They don't talk much though the native's friend would have so many things to say to clear his mind.

"How is it going between you and Florence?"  
"I found out that I like her"  
"You're still not together?"  
"I'm gonna make a move soon, I guess…"

Kanen'tó:kon sighs.

"How about you?" Connor asks.  
"Nothing at all"  
"… I'm sorry…"  
"I guess I'm just not made to be with someone…"  
"Don't say that, you'll find someone, someday"  
"I'd like to believe you, brother, but I have no chance. I hit on every single girl here and none reacted positively"  
"Did you ever consider being with an outsider?"  
"Like you?"  
"Why not?"  
"I never thought of it but I don't think it could work…"  
"You will find someone, I swear you"  
"I liked Kaneela but…"  
"How is she?"  
"Gone"

He frowns.

"Gone?"  
"We have no idea where she went. She just disappeared"  
"Let's just hope she's not plotting something against Florence again…"  
"No, I think she really understood this time"  
"I hope so"

Awkward silence.

"Well… I better go" says Connor.

* * *

Florence and Achilles are already back when Connor gets at the homestead. He enters the house to find Achilles in a chair in the living room, reading a book.

"Hi Achilles. Where's Florence?"  
"Taking a bath" he replies, not leaving his book.

Connor steps closer and sits on the couch.

"I think I'll tell her tonight"  
"Tell her what?" asks Achilles, stretching a hand to pick his bookmark.  
"That I like her"  
"You won't have a lot to say, it's already obvious that you like her"  
"I know"  
"And don't worry, she likes you too"  
"We'll confirm that as soon as she gets out of the bath"  
"Why don't you go on the porch and wait for her? I'll tell her where you are"  
"Sounds good" he says, standing up.

He goes up the stairs and gets to the porch. He struggles to find a good way to tell her how he feels. She's a woman; she deserves a good speech, not a cheap sentence. Meanwhile, Florence had the time to get dressed and join him. He got so nervous that the simple noise of the door knob surprises him.

"Achilles said that you have something to tell me"

He looks at her, stars in the eyes.

"It's something pretty important and… embarrassing?"

He curses himself for saying such a dumb thing. She doesn't mind. She gets closer to him with a naughty smile.

"Is it about me?"  
"… Yes…"

She simply nods, boiling of impatience to hear him.

"I have no idea how I should tell you that…"  
"Follow your heart"

He looks her in the eyes, craving for her lips.

"Whatever your heart tells you to do, even if you disagree, at least listen to it"

He keeps staring at her. A voice in his head keeps yelling him to kiss her. He bites his lower lip.

"What does your heart say?"  
"I wanna kiss you"  
"Why don't you do it?"  
"Would you respond to it?"  
"Try and we'll see"

He cups her face with both hands and kisses her without hesitation. She wraps her arms around his upper body and holds him tight. What a relief it is, for both, to finally let out all of this tension and affection. He lowers one of his hands to her waist while keeping her face stuck to his with his other hand. She wraps her arms around his neck, wishing this moment would never end. After many minutes, they slowly pull away and stare in the other's eyes. He licks his lips.

"I think I like you"  
"Oh, really?"

They chuckle.

"I'm still sorry for my bad behavior when you arrived. You don't-"

She quickly kisses him.

"Stop talking about the past. All that matters right now is you and me"  
"You're right. I like you"  
"I like you too"

Both smile. She turns around to face the horizon.

"June warned me that being with you was dangerous"  
"I'll make sure it is not" he says, hugging her from behind.  
"I know. And I'm happy to finally know what it is to feel at your place, safe and… loved?"  
"I guess you can say that"

She puts her hands on his arms and looks up at him.

"What does your heart say, now?"

He looks down to her and smiles.

"It says that I should be glad to have you in my life"  
"You sure are. I am glad too"

They lean in and kiss again.

* * *

**Yay, they finally kissed! :P Hope you liked it, I keep working hard! Please review :)**


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